Smriti Mandhana-Palaash Muchhal Split: Why Are Netizens Demanding Apology From New Zealand Cricketer Rachin Ravindra?

Music composer Palaash Muchhal’s personal life has faced intense attention since her November 23 wedding with Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana was cancelled at the last minute. Amid a wave of rumours, the two later confirmed that they had called off their wedding and ended their relationship. In an unexpected twist, many Internet users confused New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra with music composer Palaash Muchhal and flooded Rachin’s Instagram comments with messages saying ‘apologise to smriti.’

Internet users confuse cricketer Rachin Ravindra with music composer Palaash Muchhal

What began as a few light-hearted comments on social media has now become a full-blown moment of confusion, with many Indian users mixing him up with music composer Palaash Muchhal.

The mix-up started when fans noticed similarities in their facial features and hairstyles. Soon, posts on Instagram and X showed their photos side by side, teasing that the two look surprisingly alike. Many users even visited Ravindra’s Instagram profile and left comments supposedly meant for Palaash. Some fans dragged Smriti Mandhana into the discussion, spamming comments like, “Justice for smriti 🙌🙌”, “Smriti Mandhana ke saath accha nahi kia tumne....” and “apologies with smriti.”

Several people are now trying to clear the air, urging others to stop meddling and avoid creating confusion between the singer and the cricketer. Known for his calm and grounded nature, Rachin has not responded to the comparisons, yet the internet continues to mix the two up. The chatter grows each time a new video clip or photo of him goes viral. This ongoing banter will likely fade as quickly as it started.

Also Read: Don’t Love Anything More Than Cricket: Smriti Mandhana's First Reaction After Palaash Muchhal Break Up

Smriti-Palaash split controversy

Smriti and Palaash hosted their pre-wedding functions in Sangli, Maharashtra. The celebrations were joined by Smriti's cricket mates. However, on the eve of the planned wedding, Smriti's father, Shrinivas Mandhana, fell ill after experiencing "heart attack-like symptoms" and was hospitalised. While the couple immediately put their wedding on hold, unverified social media posts circulating on Reddit hinted that Palaash had allegedly cheated on Smriti. Later, when Palaash released a statement confirming that his wedding was cancelled, he claimed that he would take legal action against those spreading "baseless rumours" about him. The former couple has now unfollowed each other on Instagram and deleted all their couple's photos.