Dropped from team, three players attack U19 coach in Puducherry:S Venkataraman gets 20 stitches on head, suffers fractured shoulder

Puducherry Cricket Association (CAP) has been embroiled in controversy. On Monday, S. Venkataraman, the head coach of the association’s Under-19 team, was attacked by three local players. According to reports, the players were upset about being dropped from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) team. According to a report by The Indian Express, the attack took place around 11 AM on Monday at CAP’s indoor nets. Venkataraman sustained serious injuries. He received 20 stitches on his head and suffered a fractured shoulder. A complaint regarding the incident has been filed at the Sedarapet police station. Venkataraman has also previously served as the secretary of CAP. CAP has not commented on the attack. Meanwhile, its CEO Raju Mehta defended the association’s functioning, stating that a zero-tolerance for corruption policy is in place in its governance. The accused players are absconding Sedarape Police Station Sub-Inspector S. Rajesh said, “Venkatraman has 20 stitches on his head, but his condition is stable. The players who are accused are absconding and are being searched for.” In his complaint, Venkatraman has named senior cricketer Karthikeyan Jayaram Sundaram, first-class players A. Arvindraj and S. Santhosh Kumaran. He also accused G. Chandran, secretary of the Bharathidasan Puducherry Cricketers Forum, of instigating the players. Venkatraman claimed that “Arvindraj held me, Karthikeyan took Santhosh Kumaran’s bat and attacked me. They were saying that Chandran has said that you will get a place in the team only if you hit me.” Bharathidasan Forum has clearly denied this allegation. Its president Senthil Kumaran said that Venkataraman had previously had disputes with local players and there were many complaints against him. Promotion of outside players in CAP A day before this, the Indian Express, in its investigation, claimed that outside players are being promoted in CAP. Also, domicile documents are being manipulated to discriminate against players born in Puducherry. According to the report, since 2021, only five players born in Puducherry have played in the Ranji Trophy. In the same report, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia called these allegations serious and said that the matter would be investigated.