Cricket coach assaulted with bat over team selection, suffers 20 stitches: Report

Pondicherry U-19 coach S Venkataraman was severely assaulted by three local cricketers at the CAP training facility after being dropped from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad. The attack, which left Venkataraman with a head injury and shoulder fracture, has led to an FIR and an ongoing police investigation against the assailants.
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NEW DELHI: The Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) is facing fresh controversy after its Under-19 head coach, S Venkataraman, was allegedly assaulted inside the association’s training facility on Monday by three local cricketers upset over being dropped from the squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! According to an Indian Express report, the attack took place around 11 am at CAP’s indoor nets. Venkataraman, a former CAP secretary, suffered a severe head injury requiring 20 stitches and a fracture in his shoulder. The assault has led to an FIR at the Sedarapet police station.
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Sub-Inspector S Rajesh, confirming the gravity of the assault, said: “Venkataraman received 20 stitches on his forehead, but he is stable. The said players are absconding, and we are trying to track them.” In his complaint, Venkataraman named three players — senior cricketer Karthikeyan Jayasundaram and first-class players A Aravinddaraj and S Santhosh Kumaran — as the assailants. He also accused G Chandran, secretary of the Bharathidasan Pondicherry Cricketers’ Forum, of inciting them. Venkataraman alleged: “While Aravinddaraj held me, Karthikeyan took the bat that Santhosh Kumaran had and attacked me… They hit me, saying Chandran had told them that they would get a chance only if they killed me. ”
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The Bharathidasan forum denied any role in the attack. Its president Senthil Kumaran countered, claiming Venkataraman had a history of complaints and strained relationships with local cricketers. The assault comes a day after an Indian Express investigation exposed alleged manipulation within the CAP to deny opportunities to Puducherry-born players while favouring “outstation” cricketers with forged domicile documents. Only five Puducherry-born players have played Ranji Trophy matches since 2021, the report found. As per the same report, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia acknowledged the findings, stating that they “raise some serious issues” that will be examined. CAP declined to comment on the attack, while its CEO Raju Metha defended the association’s governance and insisted there was “zero tolerance for corruption.”
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