The Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) is under renewed scrutiny after three local cricketers who were upset about not being included in the squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) allegedly attacked S Venkataraman, the association's Under-19 head coach, inside the association's training facility on Monday as reported by Indian Express.
Former CAP secretary Venkataraman had a fractured shoulder and a head injury that required twenty stitches. An FIR was filed at the Sedarapet police station following the attack, which happened inside the indoor nets at the CAP complex at around 11 in the morning.
Sub-Inspector S Rajesh attested to the assault's seriousness. “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,” he said.
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Venkataraman identified three local players as the attackers in his police complaint: first-class players A Aravinddaraj and S Santhosh Kumaran, as well as veteran cricketer Karthikeyan Jayasundaram. Additionally, he charged that the three were provoked by G Chandran, the secretary of the Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers' Forum.
The players approached him over their expulsion from the state's T20 team, according to the lawsuit. “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 stated.
Allegations of incitement were denied by the Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers' Forum. Its president, Senthil Kumaran, said: “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.”
The incident unfolded a day after an investigation by national daily revealed systemic manipulation within the CAP to limit opportunities for Puducherry-born cricketers while allowing “outstation players” to be passed off as locals using forged documents. Only five Puducherry-born cricketers have featured in Ranji Trophy games since 2021, the investigation found.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia responded to the findings by stating that the board would look into the claims shortly and that they "raise some serious issues".
Regarding the assault case, the CAP declined to comment. CAP CEO Raju Metha, however, defended the organisation's policies in response to the probe, claiming that there was "zero tolerance for corruption" and that all players had adhered to BCCI rules.
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