Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has secured a legal victory after a Delhi family court directed his estranged former Australian wife to return about ₹5.72 crore – approximately AUD $1.04 million – linked to the sale of Australian properties.
As per ABP News, the Family Court at Patiala House in New Delhi ruled in Dhawan’s favour, holding that orders issued by an Australian family court under a property settlement arrangement cannot be enforced in India.
It is reported that Dhawan and Aesha Mukherjee, an Australian national, were granted a divorce by a Delhi court in October 2023.
The court found that the Australian proceedings were inconsistent with Indian matrimonial law and public policy. It declared that the foreign court’s directions relating to financial settlement were not binding on Dhawan within India and therefore unenforceable.
It is further reported in the Indian media that in its judgment, the court also set aside a financial agreement and related documents signed by the cricketer, accepting Dhawan’s claim.
The defendant has been directed to return AUD $812,397.50 received as an interim settlement from the sale of a property in Berwick, Victoria, along with AUD $82,000 retained from the sale of another property in Clyde North, Victoria.
The court ordered interest at nine per cent per annum on these amounts from the date the civil suit was filed until full repayment. It also restrained enforcement of an anti-suit injunction issued by the Australian court against Dhawan.
It is reported that this case was decided ex parte due to the defendant’s absence. No order was made regarding litigation costs.
The ruling comes amid renewed public attention on Dhawan’s personal life following his recent marriage to Irish professional Sophie Shine.
In recent days, Dhawan publicly rejected viral social media posts attributing false remarks to him about his former marriage.
“I have never carried baggage from the past, be it on the pitch or outside. I firmly believe in the power of positivity while respecting my past,” he wrote on social media, urging people not to associate fabricated and insensitive comments with his name.
Dhawan described his remarriage as a new chapter and expressed gratitude for the support of fans, friends and family.
Dhawan and Shine had been in a relationship for over a year and announced their engagement in January before tying the knot in a private ceremony. Shine is an Irish product consultant currently working with Northern Trust Corporation and is based in the UAE. The couple were first seen together publicly during the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai.
Dhawan retired from international and domestic cricket in August 2024 after representing India in 34 Tests, 167 one-day internationals and 68 T20 internationals. He played a key role in India’s 2013 Champions Trophy triumph, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and earning Player of the Tournament honours.
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