Cricket coach suffers 20 stitches after players assault him over team selection

In a shocking incident in India’s domestic cricket, S Venkataraman, the Under-19 head coach of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP), was allegedly assaulted by three local cricketers on Monday (Dec 8) over their selection in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) tournament. The cricket coach suffered 20 stitches, a head injury and a fractured shoulder, all reported in a FIR lodged at Sedarapet police station, sub-inspector S Rajesh confirmed in his statement.

“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,” S Rajesh said, as quoted by the Indian Express.

A report in the publication also claims that the CAP administration was outright denying adequate representation for Puducherry-born cricketers in domestic matches, while also exposing how ‘outstation players’ were made to pass off as locals by using fake educational certificates and Aadhaar addresses. Shockingly, only five native cricketers have represented the state team in the Ranji Trophy since 2021.

Responding to the report, the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said, “The news items raise some serious allegations, and therefore the BCCI will look into the matter soon.”

Meanwhile, in his police complaint following Monday’s attack, the cricket coach, also a former CAP secretary named three local cricketers - Karthikeyan Jayasundaram (played six matches across formats), A Aravinddaraj and S Santhosh Kumaran (both represented Puducherry in Ranji Trophy), while also dragging Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers’ Forum Secretary, G Chandran, of instigating this assault on him.

“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.

In response to Venkataraman’s accusations against Chandran, the Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers’ Forum denied all allegations, saying, “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.