Big Bash League player Nikhil Chaudhary has been found not guilty of raping a woman he met at a Townsville nightclub. The Hobart Hurricanes allrounder, who lives in Brisbane, faced trial in the District Court over allegations he digitally raped the local woman in his car on Flinders St in the city’s nightlife precinct in May 2021. The 27-year-old Chaudhary pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in Townsville on Monday.
The cricketer’s defence barrister argued Chaudhary believed his actions were consensual, after he and the woman had kissed in the nightclub. Her memory of the night was also put under questioning during cross-examination. A jury found Chaudhary not guilty of rape, and not guilty of an alternative lesser charge of sexual assault, after an hour of deliberations. He declined to comment on leaving court after the verdict on Thursday.