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HomeLifestyleSmriti Mandhana's fiancé Palash Muchhal blamed long distance relationship for his alleged flirty texts; Is that a fair excuse?

Smriti Mandhana's fiancé Palash Muchhal blamed long distance relationship for his alleged flirty texts; Is that a fair excuse?

Can long distance relationship with someone be an excuse to cheat on them? Relationship expert weighs in on this.

November 25, 2025 / 17:16 IST
Did Palak Muchhal actually cheat on Smriti Mandhana? (Picture Credit: X)

Cricketer Smriti Mandhana was all set to marry her fiancé Palash Muchhal, but in an unprecedented turn of events, the wedding is not happening anytime soon it seems. The reason that was cited behind postponing the wedding was Smriti's father's health condition.

Soon thereafter, there were also reports that Muchhal too was not doing well and had been hospitalized. However, now rumours are abuzz that the real reason why the wedding was allegedly called off was because Muchhal was cheating on Smriti. What fueled this speculation was the fact that Smrti had deleted all her pictures with Muchhal from her Instagram account.

Redditors alleged that the woman with whom Muchhal cheated on her was a choreographer and the same girl apparently also shared her WhatsApp conversations with Muchhal.

Also read: Kanye West has strict rules for wife Bianca Censori; Relationship expert lists possible reasons for West's controlling behaviour

Take a look at the conversation:

The screenshots were shared, but removed from social media soon thereafter. The date of the conversation couldn't be ascertained from the texts. From the conversation, it is clear that Muchhal texts are flirty in nature. One thing really stood out from the conversation. When the girl allegedly asked him if he gets to see Smriti everyday, the latter replied, "Don't ask re. Long distance. Literally sucks!!! We meet like once in 3 to 5 months and "that's the problem"."

What one can infer from Muchhal text is that somewhere he is hitting on other woman, because he's in a long distance relationship with Smriti. Come to think of it, if it is really true, then what does it speak about Muchhal? Moneycontrol's team spoke to relationship expert Ruchi Ruuh to understand if being in a long distance relationships really justifies an individual cheating on their partner.

"Absolutely not! Long distance relationships don't mean that an individual will cheat on someone and later justify it too. In fact, both emotional and physical infidelity is a big no no," she shared, adding that a lot of people often cheat in long-distance relationships, because the emotional or physical gap feels easier to fill with someone who is near to them.

Long distance can make a relationship harder but it doesn’t automatically give someone permission to cross the established boundaries of the relationship. In fact long-distance relationships thrive on clarity, communication, and accountability.

Also read: Love-loreing: A dating trend that prioritises making connections instead of obsessing over future

"If the alleged chats are real, then clearly it is not the distance problem, it is a choice that Muchhal has made. People don’t cheat because they’re far away, they cheat because they either lack the willingness or the courage to communicate with their partner about what’s missing in their relationship," Ruuh concluded.

Shreya Garg is a journalist with over 6 years of experience at leading media houses. She writes extensively on lifestyle, health and things that are trending on the internet.
first published: Nov 25, 2025 05:15 pm

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