India, March 20 -- Acknowledging Yuzvendra Chahal's participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), the Bombay high court on Wednesday allowed a plea filed by the cricketer and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma to waive off the mandatory six-month cooling off period before divorce.

The court directed the family court to expedite the matter and finalise the divorce petition on March 20. Chahal will play for Punjab Kings in the tournament that starts on March 22.

The leg spinner married Verma in December 2020 and the couple separated in June 2022. Noting that the couple had been living separately for over two and a half years, the single-judge bench of justice Madhav Jamdar waived off the cooling period and issued a direction...