Pondicherry coach faces FIR after cricketer alleges he attacked players

In December 2025, a dispute erupted at the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) under-19 coaching facility when a coach, S Venkatraman, alleged that three local cricketers attacked him. The incident occurred on December 8 at the CAP complex. Venkatraman, a former joint-secretary of CAP and coach for a Pondicherry Premier League franchise, claimed the players, Jayasundaram Karthikeyan, A Aravinddaraj, and S Santhosh Kumaran, were upset about their exclusion from the SMAT squad.

After the attack, Venkatraman suffered a head injury and a shoulder fracture and was hospitalized. Karthikeyan, one of the players involved, filed a petition with the Judicial Magistrate-IV of Pondicherry, alleging that Venkatraman had escalated the situation. Despite Karthikeyan and his teammates reporting the incident to the Sedarapet police on the day of the attack, no action was taken.

Karthikeyan's advocate, M Sabari Selvam, expressed frustration at the police's inaction, stating that the players had undergone a medical examination and filed a complaint with the Sedarapet SHO and SP (North). Months later, Karthikeyan filed a petition with the Judicial Magistrate, leading to the registration of an FIR against Venkatraman by the Sedarapet police.

Following the police action, the players were suspended from all cricketing activities by the CAP for their involvement in a serious criminal case, including charges of attempt to murder and assault on the U19 coach. The advocate has also lodged a formal complaint to the BCCI and the CAP, requesting an inquiry and immediate suspension of Venkatraman.