During the semi-final of the 2026 Asian Games between India and Sri Lanka, an event occurred that caused confusion among Indian cricket fans. Player names appeared on the match scoreboard that at first glance might have seemed like a translator's error, sparking discussions on social media.
India defeated Sri Lanka by a score of 124 runs in the semi-final, where India itself scored 170 points. Ishan Kishan delivered an impressive performance, scoring 80 runs off 46 balls, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi added 38 runs.
However, unusual names were displayed on the scoreboard during the game. Instead of Washington Sundar, 'W.S. Mani Sundar' was shown, and instead of Tilak Verma, 'T.T.V Namboori' was displayed. The scoreboard photo quickly went viral on social media, raising questions for the Sony Liv broadcaster. Nevertheless, it turned out that these names were not errors.
In the case of Washington Sundar, the entry 'W.S. Mani Sundar' reflects his name Washington Sundar, where 'W.S.' denotes his initials, and 'Mani Sundar' is his father's name.
Similarly, Tilak Verma's full name is Namboori Thakur Tilak Varma, which is why the designation T.T.V Namboori appeared on the scoreboard. Thus, the names displayed on the scoreboard corresponded to the players' official names.
Furthermore, the change in Sanju Samson's name attracted fans' attention. Instead of him, S. Vishwanadh was displayed on the scoreboard. The reason is that Vishwanadh is Sanju Samson's real middle name, and this part of the name was used on the scoreboard because Sanju was born in Tiruvannanthapuram.
The process of registering player names at major multi-sport events, such as the Asian Games, differs from standard cricket series. This is not a broadcasting error but part of standardized athlete registration. According to the procedures of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), player information is usually entered based on their officially registered names, including those listed in passports and accreditation.
This data is stored in a centralized database used for the event and broadcasting. OCA rules stipulate that in bilateral cricket series, players are usually recognized by popular or commonly accepted names in the cricketing world. However, at multi-sport events like the Asian Games, a unified naming system is applied for athletes across different disciplines. This is why these 'other' names of Indian cricketers appeared on television graphics, digital scoreboards, and official reports. A similar situation was observed with the name of women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was displayed as Harmanpreet Kaur Buller, as well as with other athletes.
