Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal has sparked fresh chatter on social media after a new promotional campaign referenced the viral “sugar daddy” remark that had surfaced during his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Dhanashree Verma. The campaign quickly grabbed attention online, and drew sharp criticism from several social media users, who called it “cringe” and “disgusting”.
Yuzvendra Chahal faces backlash
Last year, Chahal grabbed headlines when he showed up at his final divorce hearing wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Be Your Own Sugar Daddy,’ a phrase that quickly went viral across social media and became a major talking point online. Now, the cricketer seems to have revisited that very moment through a new video collaboration with micro-drama platform Story TV.
In a recently surfaced promotional clip, the platform introduced Chahal as its Chief Story Officer. The promotional video, which was released on Friday, has been drawing attention online, especially for a scene where a phrase reading “Zero Sugar (Daddy) Diet” can be seen written on the wall behind Chahal. In another moment, Chahal is seen narrating a story, which is about the couple’s messy divorce proceedings and alimony involved.
The screenshot from the advertisement was shared by Story TV’s founder and CEO Saurabh Pandey as well.
However, the promotional clip’s nod has not gone down well with many. Several social media users, particularly on Reddit, slammed the campaign as “cringe” and urged the cricketer not to “milk” his divorce for publicity.
“This whole sugar daddy thing associated with Yuzi & Dhanashree for some silly Ads campaign or marketing is so below the line. It’s disgusting. Idk what happened between them but seeing him do all this makes me happy for her,” one wrote, with another sharing, “He is acknowledging all that he brings to a relationship is his networth. In other words, he is showing his low self esteem.”
“I never thought I would develop respect for Dhanashree,” one comment read. One wrote, “He’s so cringe.” One wrote, “The guy has hardly any cricket left in him and thats why milking his divorce to the maxx to keep himself afloat”, with one mentioning, “When you have no cherechter you just start doing such things.do even you can’t imagine”.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree’s marriage
Dhanashree and Chahal got married in Gurugram in December 2020. The two met during the Covid-19 pandemic when Chahal asked Dhanashree for dance lessons.
As per their petition, they separated in June 2022. On February 5, they filed a joint petition before the family court seeking divorce by mutual consent. They were granted a divorce in March last year.
When the proceeding were on, there were also murmurs that Dhanashree was seeking ₹60 crore in alimony. However, Dhanashree’s family dismissed the claims by issuing a statement.
Last year, Chahal was asked about the thought behind wearing the T-shirt when he joined Raj Shamani for a chat on his YouTube channel. Talking about it, Chahal said, “Mereko nahi karna tha drama (I didn’t want to do any drama). I just wanted to give one message and maine woh de diya (which I gave through the T-shirt).”
“Kyunki saamne se kuch cheez hua tha, aur mera pehle mann nahi tha. Fir saamne se kuch hua toh fir maine kaaha ab sambhaal lo, ab mujhe nahi parwah kisi ki. Maine na kisi ko abuse kra, bus mujhe message dena tha (Something happened from the other side, and I didn’t initially intend to respond. But then something happened, and I thought, ‘Enough is enough, now I don’t care about anyone.’ I didn’t abuse anyone; I just wanted to convey my message),” he shared.
Later, Chahal was rumoured to be dating RJ Mahvash, given their frequent public appearances together. However, they refused such claims.
