3 min readNew DelhiAug 10, 2026 09:21 PM IST
Eight months after the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) under-19 coach, S Venkatraman, was allegedly attacked by three local cricketers, a Judicial Magistrate in Pondicherry directed the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the coach on a petition filed by one of the players.
In his complaint to the Sedarapet police regarding the incident that took place on December 8, 2025, at the CAP complex, Venkatraman named three local cricketers: Jayasundaram Karthikeyan (32), A Aravinddaraj (30) and S Santhosh Kumaran (28), all of whom have represented Pondicherry in Ranji Trophy matches.
A former CAP joint-secretary, Venkatraman claimed that the players attacked him, “insisting that I was the reason for their non-selection in the SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) squad.” He was subsequently hospitalised, suffering a head injury and shoulder fracture.
While an FIR was registered against the players, Karthikeyan had filed a complaint against the coach on the same day of the incident. However, no action was taken.
Karthikeyan, who has represented Pondicherry in six matches across formats, alleged in his complaint that Venkatraman escalated the situation while he and others were training at the CAP’s indoor training facility.
“Venkatraman abused them and picked up a bat and attacked them. We committed no deliberate assault. The players sustained injuries and underwent a medical examination at a primary health centre,” Karthikeyan’s advocate, M Sabari Selvam, told The Indian Express.
“We filed a complaint with the Sedarapet SHO and SP (North) on the same day of the attack. The police only acted on the complaint they later received from Venkatraman.”
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Following months of inaction from the police, the 32-year-old Karthikeyan filed a petition with the Judicial Magistrate-IV of Pondicherry.
“The court direction was pronounced last month, and an FIR was registered against Venkatraman by the Sedarapet police last week. We have also lodged a formal complaint to the BCCI and the CAP, requesting an enquiry and immediate suspension of Venkatraman,” the advocate said.
In April 2026, the cricketers were suspended from all cricketing activities by the CAP for their involvement in “a grave criminal case, including charges of attempt to murder and assault on Mr Venkataraman, CAP’s U19 coach.”
Over the years, Venkataraman has also served as the CAP joint-secretary (2019-22) and as a coach for a Pondicherry Premier League franchise. He also oversaw the Ranji Trophy team in Pondicherry’s last two matches earlier this year.
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