Three Puducherry cricketers – J Karthiyeyan, A Aravindaraj and S Santhosh Kumaran – have been suspended from all Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) activities after police charged them over an alleged attack on the state’s Under-19 coach, Mr Venkataraman.
CAP confirmed in a brief statement on Wednesday that a “formal chargesheet has been filed” at Sedurapet Police Station. The board added that the case is “currently pending before the Hon’ble Judicial Magistrate – IV Court, Puducherry”.
According to the same release, the incident took place on 8 December 2025 and involves allegations of attempt to murder as well as assault. CAP described it as being “in a grave criminal case, including charges of attempt to murder and assault on Mr. Venkataraman, CAP’s U19 coach”.
For now, CAP has imposed three immediate sanctions:
• suspension from “all cricketing activities” run by the association;
• the trio are “prohibited and banned from entering the CAP Siechem campus” in Tutipet or any other CAP-controlled facility;
• they cannot represent the state in any domestic or external competition until the court process is complete.
“Everyone at the association understands the seriousness of the allegations,” a senior CAP official told local reporters, asking not to be named. “The players have been informed, and we are letting the legal system take its course.”
Karthiyeyan, 24, is a left-arm seamer, while Aravindaraj, 23, bowls off-spin and bats in the lower middle order. Santhosh Kumaran, 22, is a fast-bowling all-rounder. All three featured intermittently in the recent Ranji Trophy season, where Puducherry finished sixth in Group D, winning one of seven matches.
Former India wicketkeeper and coach Kiran More says the suspension is “standard practice” once a chargesheet is filed. “Cricket boards everywhere do this to protect both the game’s reputation and the players’ own rights,” he told a regional TV channel.
Legal experts point out that the players could face a lengthy wait. A Puducherry-based lawyer, who has handled sports-related cases before, explained: “Even if the court eventually clears them, disciplinary bodies often run a separate enquiry, so it may not be an automatic return.”
For now, CAP insists the ban will stand “until the Hon’ble Court adjudicates the matter and clears the accused of all charges”.
