The Indian Express’s recent investigative report has exposed a deeply entrenched system of fraud and corruption within Puducherry cricket, specifically involving the use of dodgy records and fake IDs to bypass the BCCI’s eligibility criteria.
The investigation reveals that the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) has allegedly become a conduit for outstation cricketers to gain “local” status for a fee, offering a “short-cut” to the domestic cricket big league and raising serious questions about governance and fairness in the sport.
The core of the alleged fraud revolves around circumventing the BCCI’s mandatory one-year residency requirement for players to be considered “local.” The investigation, which reviewed over 2,000 player registration forms and spoke to numerous current and former players and officials, uncovered a well-oiled pipeline, reportedly managed by coaches at private cricket academies, that sells this local status for a “package” of ₹1.2 lakh or more.
This fee procures fabricated documentation, including backdated admissions to educational institutions, dodgy Aadhaar addresses, and even fake job records, all designed to create a paper trail fulfilling the residency norms.
One of the most shocking pieces of evidence highlights the scale of the deceit: 17 “local” cricketers from various Puducherry teams were found to be using the same Aadhaar address in Moolakulam’s Motilal Nagar. Further on-ground verification found that many listed residences were either unaware of the players using their address or confirmed that the players had never actually resided there.
This clearly indicates a systemic manufacturing of addresses rather than genuine compliance with domicile rules. The investigation also brought to light allegations of a conflict of interest within the Cricket Association of Pondicherry itself, primarily concerning the overlapping interests between the CAP and Siechem Technologies Ltd, a private firm whose owner, P.
Damodaren was the CAP president until recently. Records suggest the firm’s employees have significant control over the CAP’s voting structure, and the main cricket ground used by CAP is on land owned by Siechem.
The fallout from these practices has been severe, particularly for genuine local talent. Local cricketers have alleged that the influx of outstation players using fraudulent means has effectively sidelined them, creating a parallel and unfair selection system where money buys a spot over merit. In one instance, five local cricketers were reportedly banned by the CAP for protesting the “unfettered inclusion” of outstation players in the T20 Puducherry Premier League (PPL).
This is not the first time the association has been in hot water; in 2019, the BCCI banned six Puducherry players for listing a fictitious “Senthil Institute” in their registration.
While former CAP officials have vehemently denied the allegations, stating they are not responsible for cross-verifying government-issued documents like Aadhaar, the overwhelming evidence from the investigative report points to a deliberate and commercialised subversion of the rules meant to promote local talent and maintain fair play in domestic cricket.
The BCCI has been put on watch to take appropriate and immediate action to clean up the system in Puducherry cricket.
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