New Delhi | January 2026
Former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is preparing for a new chapter in life as he gets ready to marry his long-time partner Sophie Shine in what is expected to be a lavish February wedding.
According to people familiar with the plans, the ceremony will take place in the third week of February in the Delhi-NCR region and is likely to be attended by prominent names from the worlds of cricket and Bollywood.
“It’s a new beginning for both of them,” a source said.
“They are approaching it with quiet happiness and deep gratitude. Shikhar has been personally involved in every detail to make sure the wedding truly reflects where he is in life now.”
Who Is Sophie Shine?
Born in 1990, Sophie Shine is an Irish national and a senior executive in Shikhar Dhawan’s business empire. She currently heads the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation, the philanthropic wing of Da One Sports, and in July 2025, she officially assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer of the conglomerate.
Sophie holds a degree in Marketing and Management from the Limerick Institute of Technology and completed her schooling at Castleroy College in Ireland. Her corporate journey includes senior leadership roles, most notably as Second Vice President at Northern Trust Corporation in Abu Dhabi, where she served until March 2025.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sophie has built a strong public presence, with over 343,000 followers on Instagram, where she frequently shares moments from her personal and professional life.
How Their Love Story Began
Sophie and Shikhar’s relationship became public in June 2025, when Sophie shared on social media how they first met at a restaurant in Dubai.
“We met at a restaurant in Dubai, and it was a great feeling,” she wrote,
adding that it was Shikhar’s “mischievous eyes” that first caught her attention.
Their friendship soon turned into a relationship, and the couple has reportedly been living together for more than a year, deeply committed to building a future together.
Shikhar is believed to have first interacted with Sophie on social media on 13 June 2023, when he liked one of her Instagram posts — a small gesture that quietly marked the beginning of their journey.
Public Appearances & Growing Bond
The couple first drew public attention during the 2024 IPL season, when Sophie was regularly seen in the stands supporting Dhawan during Punjab Kings matches. She was also present with him during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, further cementing their status as a much-admired couple.
This marks Shikhar Dhawan’s first confirmed relationship since his divorce from Aesha Mukherji in 2023. He shares an 11-year-old son, Zoravar, with his former wife.
A New Chapter
As their February wedding approaches, friends of the couple describe both Shikhar and Sophie as being in a deeply settled and optimistic phase of life — one defined by stability, purpose, and shared ambition.
With wedding festivities expected to blend elegance, intimacy, and celebrity sparkle, this union is already being seen as one of the most talked-about personal milestones in Indian sports this year.
