Ravichandran Ashwin Cleared of Ball-Tampering Allegations in TNPL

Ashwin Exonerated from Tampering Claims

New Delhi [India] - On June 16, former Indian cricket star Ravichandran Ashwin has been exonerated from accusations of ball-tampering in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). The allegations were brought forth by the Siechem Madurai Panthers against Ashwin's team, the Dindigul Dragons (DD), as reported by a leading sports news outlet.

The Madurai franchise claimed that DD had manipulated the ball's condition by using towels treated with chemicals during their match in Salem on June 14.

Shijit Chandran, the coach of Siechem Madurai Panthers, lodged the complaint initially with the franchise's CEO, Pooja Damodaran, before escalating it to the TNPL authorities. He stated, “The ball's condition deteriorated significantly during our innings, which adversely impacted our batsmen's performance. The sound of every shot played by our batters after the powerplay resembled hitting a hard stone rather than a cricket ball,” as quoted by the sports news outlet.

Chandran further asserted, “We believe that the Dindigul Dragons utilized foreign substances to modify the ball's condition, including special towels with pre-applied roughening agents, which is unacceptable and undermines the integrity of the game, constituting cheating.”

Following a thorough investigation, TNPL CEO Prasanna Kannan announced that no evidence supporting the ball-tampering claims was found. He clarified, “The towels in question were issued by the TNCA and were available to both teams. The Playing Control Team, which included umpires and the match referee, had complete oversight of the ball during the match. No issues were raised during the game, and no verifiable evidence has been presented. The allegations seem speculative and made after the fact.”

Kannan also mentioned, “If the franchise has credible and verifiable evidence, they may formally request an Independent Commission of Inquiry by 3 PM on June 17, along with supporting materials such as video, photographic, or testimonial evidence.”

In the match, the Dindigul Dragons comfortably defeated the Madurai Panthers, with openers Ashwin and Shivam Singh leading the charge to chase down 151 runs in under 13 overs, marking their second victory in TNPL 2025. Ashwin's team is the defending champion, having secured their first title last season.