The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has cleared former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin of ball-tampering charges after the Siechem Madurai Panthers accused him and the Dindigul Dragons of doing the same.
The Madurai franchise accused the Ashwin-led team of tampering with the ball by using towels reportedly prepared with chemicals during their encounter in Salem on June 14.
“The ball’s condition deteriorated significantly throughout our innings, impacting our batsmen’s performance. You can hear the sound of every shot our batters took after the powerplay, as if they were striking hard stones rather than cricket balls,” Madurai coach Shijit Chandran explained.
“We are of the view that the Dindigul Dragons team used foreign substances to alter the ball’s condition, including using special towels with pre-applied roughening agent, which is unacceptable and against the spirit of the game, and amounts to cheating,” according to him.
TNPL CEO Prasanna Kannan declared that no proof of ball tampering was discovered.
He pointed out that the umpires and match referee were attentively monitoring the ball throughout the game, therefore the charges were completely speculative.
“The towels in question were TNCA-issued and equitably distributed to both teams. The Playing Control Team, which included umpires and the match referee, had complete control of the ball throughout the contest. No concerns were voiced during play, and no verified evidence was presented. Kannan stated that the accusations appear to be hypothetical and made after the fact.
“Should the franchise possess credible and verifiable evidence, they may submit a formal request for an Independent Commission of Enquiry by 3 PM on 17th June, along with supporting material (video, photographic, or testimonial),” she said.
Kannan stated that the Madurai franchise must present substantial proof to back its charges or risk fines under the TNCA Code of Conduct and Operational Rules. He also pointed out that the complaint was lodged more than 24 hours after the match ended, making it inadmissible. However, in the interest of transparency and justice, the TNPL referred the complaint to the Honorary Secretary for evaluation.
India
