KL Rahul-Athiya Shetty wedding: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma won’t attend ceremony, here’s why

Star India batter KL Rahul is finally tying the knot with his long-time actor girlfriend Athiya Shetty today (January 23) at Khandala in Maharashtra. While many VIP celebs are expected to gather on the occasion to usher in the newly wed couple into the holy bond, one star couple very close to Rahul and Athiya that likely won’t be in attendance are Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, latest reports claim. Other big names likely to be missing are star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and India skipper and Rahul’s opening partner Rohit Sharma.

Both KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are top-order batters for team India. They have played together on numerous occasions across formats. Rahul and Kohli have a close relationship off the field as well. Meanwhile, the other halves of the two star couples are also reportedly on great terms with each other. The two cricketing WAGs have been spotted hanging out together while cheering for their cricketer partners. However, both Kohli and Anushka are likely to miss the wedding ceremony of Rahul and Athiya.

OLD PHOTO: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma and daughter Vamika hanging out with KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty

The reason for Kohli, Rohit and Pandya’s likely absence is team India duties. Both senior players are currently in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore where India are slated to take on New Zealand tomorrow (January 24) in the third ODI of the ongoing bilateral series. 

While Kohli is unable to attend his pal’s wedding ceremony, his wife Anushka Sharma is also reportedly away with other engagements. The star actor-turned-investor was seen in Mumbai participating in a programme for Slurrp Farm, a company she has put money in. This has fuelled speculation that Anushka too might miss the wedding ceremony. 

Those who are likely to be seen in the ceremony at Athiya’s father Suniel Shetty’s lavish Khandala bungalow include former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and businessman Sanjiv Goenka. Both are close to Rahul through the Lucknow SuperGiants connection. While Gambhir is the mentor of the team that Rahul captains in IPL, Goenka owns it.

Meanwhile, Kohli, Anushka and other stars are likely to avoid missing KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty’s wedding completely as the couple reportedly plans to host a grand 3000-guest-strong wedding reception in Mumbai in the coming days.