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Smriti Mandhana says no to KBC, skips shoot amid wedding controversy with Palash Muchhal; Harmanpreet attends: Report
Smriti Mandhana missed a special Kaun Banega Crorepati episode honouring India’s Women’s Cricket World Cup victory due to personal issues.
A special Kaun Banega Crorepati episode celebrating India’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup victory was filmed this week, but one of the team’s biggest stars — vice-captain Smriti Mandhana — was unexpectedly missing from the lineup. Host Amitabh Bachchan welcomed several members of the title-winning squad to the sets, yet Mandhana skipped the shoot amid continuing turbulence surrounding her postponed wedding to music composer Palash Muchhal.
Mandhana had been scheduled to appear with her teammates for the Wednesday evening recording, but she pulled out, citing personal reasons, reported The Times of India. It would have been Smriti Mandhana's third appearance on the popular show hosted by legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.
Her absence comes on the heels of a dramatic halt to her wedding festivities in Sangli, where ceremonies such as the haldi, mehendi, and sangeet had already taken place. The celebrations came to an abrupt stop after her father, Srinivas Mandhana, suffered a sudden medical emergency and was rushed to the hospital. Soon after, Smriti deleted all pre-wedding photos from her social media, though her older posts with Palaash remain intact.
Meanwhile, Palaash Muchhal’s mother, Amita Muchhal, revealed to Hindustan Times that it was Palaash who insisted on postponing the wedding once he learned about Smriti’s father’s health scare. Deeply attached to him, Palaash reportedly broke down and refused to proceed with the rituals. The strain left him emotionally overwhelmed, and he had to be admitted for a brief period of medical observation, with his sister, singer Palak Muchhal, visiting him at the hospital.
While Mandhana stayed away, the KBC shoot still featured a star-studded group from the victorious World Cup squad. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, batter Harleen Deol, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, opener Shafali Verma, Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma, all-rounder Sneh Rana, and head coach Amol Muzumdar all took part in the episode. Clips of the cricketers arriving on set have already been circulating widely, building excitement for the special broadcast celebrating one of India’s most memorable achievements in women's cricket.
