New Delhi: A fresh controversy has rocked Indian cricket ahead of the IPL 2026 season, as 18-year-old all-rounder Satvik Deswal, recently signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), faces serious allegations of forging documents to qualify for the Puducherry cricket team.
The Puducherry Native Cricket Players Association has lodged a formal complaint with the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), claiming Deswal used fake documents to meet residency and eligibility criteria for Puducherry. The association alleges he was not a bona fide resident of the Union Territory for the required period and had been playing in the Haryana Cricket Association League as recently as August 10, 2025.
In an email dated December 15, the group stated, “It has been over a month since we submitted a formal complaint to the BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit regarding the use of forged documents by Satvik Deswal to qualify and represent the Puducherry team.” They urged immediate action and a response from the ACU.
Deswal, born on March 23, 2007, is a left-handed batter and right-arm medium-pacer (listed variably as a slow unorthodox spinner in some records) who went unsold in initial auctions but was picked by RCB at his base price of ₹30 lakh during the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.
The young uncapped player has previously bowled in nets for RCB and represents Puducherry in domestic cricket.
Former Puducherry Cricket Association president P Damodaran has dismissed the allegations as “completely false” and vowed to file a ₹50 crore defamation case against the association.
As the BCCI reviews the complaint, the case could impact Deswal’s eligibility and RCB’s squad plans, spotlighting scrutiny on domestic player registrations.