Here's a list of some famous cricketers who broke the social norms and got married to their cousins or their friend's wives. Check it out!
Just like film stars, cricketers also hold a massive fanbase, who wants to know everything about them. The cricketers are always in the news for their personal as well as professional lives, and their popularity knows no bounds. With that said, people are so crazy about their favourite cricketers that they always try to dig out some lesser-known details about their personal lives.
While the cricketers win our hearts with their power-packed performance on the field, their personal lives often remain under wraps. Thus, cricket fans across the globe always love to know about their favourite players’ families and love stories. While most of the cricketers got hitched to their fans or other celebrities, some tied the knot in an arranged marriage setup. However, some cricketers got married to their relatives or their friends’ wives. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at them.
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Virender Sehwag is known as one of the most powerful batsmen in Indian cricket. He got married to the love of his life, Aarti Ahlawat, on April 22, 2004. However, her family was not in favour of their marriage at first, as Sehwag and Aarti were distantly related. For the unversed, Sehwag’s cousin is married to Aarti’s aunt, which made the couple relatives. But witnessing their serious love for each other, their family finally agreed to their marriage.
Sehwag met Aarti at the mere age of 7 years, while she was just 5, at a wedding ceremony. After their first meeting at the event, the two eventually became very close friends, and their bond grew stronger with time. Before they could realise it, the two fell in love with each other. At the age of 21, Sehwag decided to propose to Aarti, to which she said ‘Yes’. Fast forward to today, they are happily married and are blessed with two kids, Aryavir and Vedant.
Indian Test team player, Murali Vijay tied the knot with Nikita Vanjara, in the year 2012. For the unversed, Nikita is the ex-wife of Murali’s former friend, Dinesh Karthik, who’s a talented Indian wicket-keeper batsman. Murali and Nikita are now proud parents to three beautiful kids, Eva, Nirav and Aarav.
Reportedly, Murali Vijay and Nikita met each other during the 2012 IPL tournament when Vijay and Karthik played for different teams. In the same year, Nikita filed for divorce from her ex-spouse, Dinesh Karthik, and soon after that, she got married to Murali. However, the trio kept the news about the divorce as well as the marriage away from the public eye.
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Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga are considered one of the most celebrated opening pairs of the Sri Lankan cricket team. The impeccable chemistry of the duo gave some explosive starts to Sri Lanka for a very long time. Though the successful duo made for the best pair on the cricket field, they are not the most cordial when it comes to personal life.
It so happened that the brewing of Upul’s friendship with Dilshan brought him closer to the latter’s wife, Nilanka. When Dilshan came to know about this, it resulted in a rift between him and Upul. The situation got so worse that Dilshan even went on to divorce his wife, Nilanka, even though they had a son together. Soon, Tharanga married his friend, Dilshan’s ex-wife, Nilanka, and the couple has been living happily together since then.
Former Pakistani all-rounder, Shahid Afridi is considered one of the most intriguing players in the cricket world. Well-known as ‘Boom Boom’, Shahid is renowned for his aggressive stroke play and crucial role in Pakistan’s triumph in every tournament. However, he announced his retirement in February 2017 and bid farewell after his 21-year-long career.
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On the personal front, Shahid Afridi said ‘Qubool hai’ to his ladylove, Nadia Afridi, on October 21, 2000, in a grand nikaah ceremony. For the unversed, Nadia is the maternal cousin of Shahid, and the two are close relatives. Currently, the cricketer and his wife, Nadia are blessed with four daughters, Aqsa, Ansha, Ajwa, Asmara and Arwa.
The former opener of the Pakistan cricket team, Saeed Anwar, got married to his sweetheart, Lubna Anwar, in 1996. Not many know that Lubna is a doctor by profession, and she is also a distant cousin of the cricketer. The couple was blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Bismah Anwar, who passed away at the age of 3.5 years in 2001 after a prolonged illness.
After her death, Saeed Anwar was completely shattered. The cricketer soon withdrew from cricket and joined the Tablighi Jamaat. Though he returned to the Pakistan cricket team in 2003 and played in the ICC World Cup, he soon retired from international cricket. However, he’s still regarded as one of the legendary cricketers of Pakistan.
Bangladeshi cricketer, Mustafizur Rahman is hailed as one of the best pacers in the world. There’s no denying the fact that he is one of the best death bowlers the world has ever seen till date. He got married to his ladylove, Samia Parvin, in the year 2019. Rahman’s wife is a psychologist.
However, reportedly, Samia is Rahman’s maternal cousin, and the duo knew each other from their childhood. Moreover, Mustafizur and Samiya have not embraced parenthood yet. However, the young couple is leading a happy married life together.
These cricketers have proved that love knows no bounds, and if two hearts are meant to be together, nothing in this world can ever stop them. What are your views about these cricketers’ decision to get married to their cousins or their friend’s wives? Let us know.
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