India batter Smriti Mandhana capped a memorable week by leading Royal Challengers Bangalore Women to their second successive Women’s Premier League title, but it was an off-field moment involving her mother that set social media abuzz after the final.
A day after RCB defeated Delhi Capitals Women by six wickets in the WPL final, Smriti’s mother, Smita Mandhana, briefly reposted a meme poking fun at singer-composer Palash Muchhal, Smriti’s former fiancé. The repost quickly went viral, drawing amused reactions from fans before it was later taken down.
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Meme repost sparks online chatter
The meme, originally shared by a social media page, jokingly suggested that Mandhana’s aggressive strokeplay in the final looked as though she was “seeing her ex” in the opposition bowlers. Smita Mandhana’s decision to repost it from her own Instagram account was spotted within minutes by users, who flooded timelines with screenshots and comments.
Reactions ranged from surprise to applause, with many calling the moment “unexpected” and “bold”. Some users speculated whether the repost was intentional, while others celebrated it as a rare instance of a sportsperson’s family member openly engaging with online humour.
By Saturday morning, after screenshots of the repost had circulated widely, the post was removed from Smita Mandhana’s account. Neither she nor Smriti has commented publicly on the episode.
A dominant final for Mandhana and RCB
The light-hearted social media moment followed a commanding on-field performance. RCB Women clinched the 2026 WPL title on Thursday, chasing down Delhi Capitals’ target with ease. Mandhana was named Player of the Match for her 87 off 41 balls, an innings that anchored the chase.
It later emerged that the India opener had been battling a high fever on the eve of the final, adding to the significance of her performance. The win marked RCB Women’s second consecutive WPL championship.
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Background to the Muchhal–Mandhana split
Mandhana and Muchhal were scheduled to marry in November last year in Sangli, Mandhana’s hometown. Pre-wedding ceremonies had begun, but the wedding was called off just hours before the nuptials. While reports later speculated about the reasons behind the split, neither Mandhana nor Muchhal has publicly addressed the details.
Muchhal, a well-known name in the Hindi music industry, recently announced his directorial debut with an upcoming project starring Shreyas Talpade.
