For India’s top cricketers, life is often measured in runs, wickets, contracts and trophies.But away from the stadium, some have faced another kind of battle, prolonged marital disputes, divorce proceedings, maintenance claims and, in some cases, painful separation from their children.The financial stakes can be substantial because courts consider a spouse’s income, lifestyle and financial capacity while deciding maintenance or permanent alimony. But the amounts involved vary sharply from case to case, and social-media claims about “crores in alimony” are not always accurate.Here are the cases that illustrate how marital breakdown has affected the personal and professional lives of Indian cricketers.Mohammed Shami: A legal battle that stretched for yearsIndian fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s marital dispute with Hasin Jahan has been one of the country’s most publicised cricket-related legal battles.Jahan accused Shami and members of his family of domestic violence and other offences in 2018. Shami denied the allegations. The controversy also spilled into cricket, with the BCCI initially withholding his contract before its anti-corruption unit cleared him of match-fixing allegations and his contract was reinstated.The financial dispute has continued alongside the legal proceedings. In July 2025, the Calcutta High Court ordered Shami to pay interim maintenance of Rs 4 lakh a month — Rs 1.5 lakh to Jahan and Rs 2.5 lakh for their daughter. The court said the amount was “fair and reasonable” to ensure financial stability and observed that Shami was in a position to pay a higher amount.Jahan had originally sought Rs 10 lakh a month, comprising Rs 7 lakh for herself and Rs 3 lakh for their daughter. After the 2025 order, she said: “We are relieved. As a father, if he (Shami) gave the alimony before, it would have benefitted the child. Now, I can send her to a good school.”For Shami, the dispute was not merely financial. It unfolded during a significant part of his international career and brought allegations, court proceedings and intense media scrutiny into his professional life.Shikhar Dhawan: Divorce, property dispute and separation from his sonFor former India opener Shikhar Dhawan, the most painful part of his marital breakdown has been his prolonged separation from his son, Zoravar.Dhawan and Aesha Mukerji married in 2012 and had a son, Zoravar, in 2014. A Delhi family court granted Dhawan a divorce in October 2023 on grounds of “mental cruelty”. The court also dealt with the complicated question of access to their son, who has links to Australia.Dhawan has spoken openly about the emotional impact. In an interview, he said: “I failed because the final decision is the person’s own. I don’t point fingers at others.”In 2025, he revealed that he had gone years without seeing his son. “I still message him every three or four days, even though I am blocked,” Dhawan said, adding that he missed him and spoke to him spiritually.The financial dispute has also produced a significant development. In February 2026, a Delhi court ordered Dhawan’s former wife to return around Rs 5.7 crore, holding that an Australian family court’s property-settlement order could not be enforced in India. The Delhi court also held that she could not demand the Rs 16.9 crore awarded by the Australian court under its property-settlement framework.Thus, Dhawan’s ordeal has involved not just divorce but also property litigation and, most painfully for him, prolonged separation from his child.Yuzvendra Chahal: Rs 4.75-crore settlement and IPL deadlineLeg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and choreographer Dhanashree Verma’s divorce became another high-profile cricket separation.The couple married in December 2020 and had been living separately for more than two years before filing for divorce by mutual consent. Their legal battle acquired additional urgency in March 2025 because Chahal was due to participate in the IPL. The Bombay High Court waived the statutory cooling-off period and directed the family court to decide the matter.The final settlement included Rs 4.75 crore in permanent alimony for Verma. One instalment of around Rs 2.37 crore had already been paid when the divorce was finalised.Importantly, this case also demonstrates why viral claims about celebrity divorces need caution. Before the actual settlement became public, social media reports claimed that Verma had sought Rs 60 crore. Her family strongly rejected the claim, calling it “baseless”, while her lawyer said the matter was sub judice and urged the media to fact-check.Chahal later spoke about the emotional toll of the separation, saying the experience had contributed to a difficult period in his life and that he had been depressed. His case shows how a divorce can become a public spectacle even when the actual financial settlement is very different from online speculation.Hardik Pandya: A separation that was described as mutualHardik Pandya’s case is markedly different from the more contentious disputes involving Shami or Dhawan.Pandya and actor-model Natasa Stankovic announced their separation in July 2024 after four years of marriage. In a joint statement, they said they had “mutually decided to part ways” after trying their best to make the relationship work.The couple have a son, Agastya, and specifically said he would remain “at the centre of both of our lives” as they co-parented him.Unlike several viral claims surrounding celebrity divorces, there has been no reliable evidence establishing that Stankovic demanded a particular multi-crore alimony amount from Pandya. Much of the speculation about the couple’s finances circulated online rather than through verified court documents.For Pandya, therefore, the principal documented challenge has been adjusting to a changed family structure while remaining a high-profile international cricketer.Dinesh Karthik: Personal turmoil during his playing careerFormer India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik experienced a very different kind of marital crisis.Karthik married his childhood friend Nikita Vanjara in 2007, but the marriage ended in divorce in 2012. Reports about her subsequent relationship with Karthik’s Tamil Nadu teammate Murali Vijay made the episode intensely public. Karthik later married squash player Dipika Pallikal.The episode was described as a major emotional setback for Karthik during his career. Later accounts have said the turmoil affected his mental state and form, although much of the detailed narrative about the relationship comes from retrospective media reports rather than court records.Karthik’s story is a reminder that not every cricket divorce is primarily about money. In some cases, the greater cost is emotional — and the consequences can follow a player into the dressing room and onto the field.