Yuzvendra Chahal has finally opened up about a moment that created major buzz online- the day he walked into his final divorce hearing wearing a T-shirt with the words "Be your own sugar daddy."
The Indian cricketer, who had kept his separation from Dhanashree Verma largely private, has now shared what really went on behind that viral photo.
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Speaking on a podcast with Raj Shamani, Chahal gave insight into why he wore that T-shirt, what it meant and what led to that exact choice of outfit.
Why did Chahal wear that ‘Sugar Daddy’ shirt during the divorce hearing?
Chahal revealed that he wasn’t trying to stir up any attention or controversy with his outfit. According to him, the T-shirt was simply his way of putting out a message, one that had been building up for some time.
“Meko nahi karna tha drama, I just wanted to give one message and mai ne vo de diya," he said. (“I didn’t want any drama. I just wanted to give one message and I gave.”)
But something happened from the other side, which made him change his approach. He hinted that an incident from Dhanashree’s end prompted him to take a stand.
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"Kyunki saamne se kuch cheej hua tha, aur mera pehle mann nahi tha. Fir saamne se kuch hua toh fir mai ne kaaha ab sambhaal lo ab mujhe nahi parwah kisi ki. Mai ne na kisi ko abuse kra, bus mujhe message dena tha," he added.
(“Because something had happened from the other side, and earlier I didn’t feel like it. Then something happened from their side, so I said, now let it be, now I don’t care about anyone. I didn’t abuse anyone, I just wanted to send a message.”)
While he didn’t go into full details of the incident that triggered it, his tone suggested that it wasn’t planned until he felt pushed to respond in some form.
Was Chahal hiding his marriage troubles behind happy social media posts?
The spinner admitted that both he and Dhanashree made a joint decision to keep things looking normal on social media.
Despite problems in the relationship, they continued to post as if everything was fine. When asked if he was pretending, Chahal simply replied, “Yes.”
He also spoke about the financial aspects of the separation. Though he didn’t give exact numbers, Chahal said he had signed a solid agreement and didn’t want to drag things out. Once the deal was done, he was ready to move on.
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Interestingly, Chahal revealed that he hasn’t spoken to Dhanashree since the 2024 World Cup and last saw her only through a video call during their legal proceedings.
When asked if he believed the relationship could have worked out, Chahal replied, “I gave my 100 percent,”.
Notably, Chahal was seen spending time with RJ Mahvash during this year’s IPL season, sparking rumours about a new relationship.