The Under-19 head coach of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP), S Venkataraman, was allegedly assaulted by three local cricketers on Monday over their non-inclusion in the team for the ongoing national T20 tournament (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy).
Venkataraman suffered a head injury and a shoulder fracture.
Confirming the incident, Sub-Inspector S Rajesh of the Sedarapet police station, where an FIR has been filed, said: “Venkataraman received 20 stitches on his forehead, but he is stable. The said players are absconding, and we are trying to track them. Further details will be revealed in due course.”
An investigation by The Indian Express, published on Tuesday, had revealed how the CAP administration was systematically denying adequate representation for Puducherry-born cricketers in the domestic games. The report exposed how “outstation cricketers” were made to pass-off as “locals” by using fake educational certificates and Aadhaar addresses. In fact, only five local players have represented Puducherry in the Ranji Trophy since 2021.
Responding to the report, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said: “The news items raise some serious allegations, and therefore the BCCI will look into the matter soon.”
In his complaint to the police on Monday’s attack, Venkataraman, a former CAP Secretary, has named three local cricketers — Karthikeyan Jayasundaram, a senior player who has appeared in six matches across formats; A Aravinddaraj and S Santhosh Kumaran, both of whom have represented Puducherry in Ranji Trophy matches. He has also accused the Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers’ Forum Secretary, G Chandran, of instigating the attack.
“Around 11 am on December 8, 2025, I was in the indoor nets inside the CAP complex before Pondicherry senior cricketers Karthikeyan, Aravinddaraj and Santhosh Kumaran came and began to abuse me, insisting that I was the reason for their non-selection in the SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) squad. While Aravinddaraj held me, Karthikeyan took the bat that Santhosh Kumaran had and attacked me with the intention of killing me. They hit me, saying Chandran had told them that they would get a chance only if they killed me,” Venkataraman said in his complaint.
The Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers’ Forum denied the allegations against Chandran. “Venkataraman has a documented history of several cases against him. He has often been known to behave rudely with local cricketers, using obscene language. His grudge against Chandran is also well-known, considering that we have repeatedly raised several issues within the CAP to the BCCI over the last seven years,” said Senthil Kumaran, president of the local cricketers’ forum.
The CAP declined to comment on the incident.
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Meanwhile, responding to The Indian Express report, CAP CEO Raju Metha said that “every player who represented CAP has strictly complied with BCCI eligibility norms” and “there is zero tolerance for corruption and no credible evidence has ever established wrongdoing.”
Metha, in a press release, also said that “at no point did he (The Indian Express reporter) approach CAP for any clarification, verification or response before publishing his report”.
The Indian Express had sent a detailed questionnaire about CAP’s functioning to the cricket body’s founder, P Damodaren. His response was carried in its entirety online, and a shorter version appeared in print. Attempts to contact Metha earlier went unanswered.
