Star badminton player Saina Nehwal announced her separation from her long-time partner Parupalli Kashyap on Instagram this Sunday. Saina and Parupalli married in 2018. They progressed in the sport together and trained at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. They were in a relationship for a long time before marrying each other.
In an interview to ESPN, Parupalli Kashyap had spoken about his relationship with Saina. ‘It was a school romance and it was innocent. It was about telling your mates that you have a girlfriend.’
Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal in the London Olympics in 2012. She reached the first position in the world badminton rankings in 2015. She was the first Indian woman player to become the world’s number one shuttler. On the other hand, Parupalli Kashyap won the gold medal in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. He reached the sixth position in the world rankings.
Their names are now a part of the list of Indian sport celebrities. These celebrities have won matches and medals but lost love. Studies have found that divorce rates of professional athletes are well above the average for the general population.
Shikhar Dhawan & Ayesha Mukherjee
Shikhar Dhawan married Ayesha Mukherjee, an Australian-based kickboxer and mother of two, in 2012. Ayesha was previously married to an Australian businessman and they had two daughters, Rhea and Aliyah. After their marriage, Shikhar and Ayesha had their first child in 2014. They welcomed a baby boy and named him Zorawar. The couple separated in 2021. In 2023, a Delhi court granted Dhawan a divorce. The court cited “mental cruelty” as a reason. Cultural differences and ongoing disagreements contributed to the split.
Sania Mirza & Shoaib Malik
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza’s marriage frequently attracted media attention. This often happened before they separated in 2024. They got married in 2010. The news of divorce came shortly after Shoaib Malik surprised fans. He announced his second marriage to Pakistani actress Sana Javed.
Mary Kom & Onkholer Kom
There had been speculations around legendary boxer Mary Kom’s married life for a long time. Confirming the rumours on April 30, 2025, she revealed that she and her husband Onkholer Kom are “no longer married.” Their divorce was finalised by mutual consent. Kom clarified that the couple had legally separated on December 20, 2023. The six-time world champion also dismissed rumours linking her romantically with others, including Hitesh Choudhary and another boxer’s husband.
Hardik Pandya & Natasa Stankovic
All-rounder Hardik Pandya and Serbian model-actress Natasa Stankovic ended their relationship in July 2024. The couple got engaged in 2020 and married during the Covid-19 lockdown. Their son, Agastya, was born on July 30, 2020. They held a grand wedding ceremony in Rajasthan on Valentine’s Day in 2023. But their differences led to separation eventually.
Yuzvendra Chahal & Dhanashree Verma
Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and choreographer Dhanashree Verma ended their marriage in March 2025. Wed in 2020, had been living apart since June 2022 before finalising their divorce. Chahal agreed to pay Dhanashree an alimony of Rs 40.75 million.
Dinesh Karthik and Nikita Vanjara
Cricketer Dinesh Karthik wed his childhood friend Nikita Vanjara in 2007. However, the marriage ended in 2012. Reports indicated her growing closeness with Karthik’s teammate, Murali Vijay. The speculation turned out to be true—Vanjara later married Vijay. However, Karthik found happiness again with squash champion Dipika Pallikal, whom he married in 2015. The couple have twins.
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