The much-anticipated seventeenth season of the iconic game show Kaun Banega Crorepati is preparing for a grand special episode featuring the champions of Indian sports. Host Amitabh Bachchan recently filmed a segment with the celebrated members of the India Women’s Cricket Team, fresh from their historic ICC World Cup performance. However, the event was marked by the conspicuous absence of the team's Vice Captain, Smriti Mandhana.
The Reason Behind The Absence
Mandhana was scheduled to be part of the Wednesday evening shoot but had to skip it due to pressing personal reasons. This development is directly linked to the postponement of her wedding to music composer Palaash Muchhal. The couple was set to tie the knot on November 23 in Sangli, Maharashtra. The celebrations came to an abrupt halt when Smriti’s father, Srinivas Mandhana, suffered a sudden health scare and had to be hospitalized.
Although pre-wedding rituals like the haldi, mehendi, and sangeet had already commenced, with photos from the festivities circulating online, the wedding was called off. In the wake of this difficult decision, Smriti removed all the pre-wedding pictures from her social media accounts, though older posts featuring Palaash remain.
A Family's Decision and Emotional Turmoil
In a revealing turn of events, Palaash Muchhal's mother, Amita Muchhal, shared that it was her son who made the compassionate call to postpone the wedding. Deeply attached to his would-be father-in-law, Palaash refused to proceed with the marriage rituals despite the haldi ceremony being completed. The emotional weight of the situation was so heavy that it left Palaash in tears and resulted in him being hospitalized for four hours for observation. His sister, popular singer Palak Muchhal, visited him during this time.
Amita Muchhal recounted that just a day before the incident, Smriti's father was in high spirits, dancing and active on Instagram. He suddenly fell ill while preparations for the baraat were underway, leading to an ambulance being called. Following this crisis, both Smriti and her bridesmaids took down all wedding-related photos from social media. The families have now unanimously decided to prioritize health before setting a new date for the ceremony.
KBC's Star-Studded Lineup
Despite Smriti Mandhana's absence, the upcoming KBC season 17 episode promises to be a thrilling watch for cricket fans. The show will feature a formidable lineup of her teammates, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and the team's head coach, Amol Muzumdar. Videos of the players arriving on the sets of Amitabh Bachchan's show have already gone viral on social media, significantly building anticipation for this special episode dedicated to the women in blue.
