Kerala’s star batter Sanju Samson turned up with a whirlwind century to fashion Kochi Blue Tigers’ stunning last-ball victory against the Aries Kollam Sailors at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
After a sluggish start in the Kerala Cricket League batting down the order, scoring only 13 off 22 deliveries while batting at number six the previous day, the onus on chasing down a whopping 237-run target against the Sailors fell on Sanju. Amid growing reports that he could lose out on his opening slot in the T20I set-up for India in the Asia Cup with the inclusion of Shubman Gill as the vice-captain, the 30-year-old Sanju was slotted down the batting order in Kochi’s last two victories.
However, Samson did not take time to get going in a tall chase, scoring two fours and a six in the opening over. He swiftly turned up the heat in the Powerplay as Kochi walloped a tournament record 100 runs within the first six overs, with Sanju zooming past his half-century in only 16 deliveries, the fastest fifty thus far this edition.
WATCH: Sanju Samson’s hundred highlights
Sanju Samson turning pressure into PLEASURE since forever 😎#KCL2025 pic.twitter.com/YOvBLdFrB8
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 24, 2025
With a crowd of 11,000 coming in to watch the hometown hero, Samson clobbered 14 fours and seven sixes while bringing up his hundred in only 42 deliveries. With regular wickets falling at the other end, Samson eventually succumbed to the heat of the scoreboard, but not without leaving a statement ahead of the Asia Cup with his 121 in 51 deliveries. The chase eventually turned into a cliff-hanger with Samson’s rookie teammate Mohammed Ashique stealing Kollam’s thunder, slamming a maximum when six runs were required off the final delivery.
Samson’s strong message for Kerala players
Picking up the Player of the Match award, Samson said, “It’s not easy to lose a game in front of your home crowd. So I thank all the people who turned up in huge numbers.”
Samson conceded that he has yet to completely get in sync in with his young teammates, but admitted that the league’s rising talent came as a shock to the India and IPL star, also urging the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and the players to remain invested in the emerging stars.
“To be very honest, I’m not much aware of the boys. But as much as I’m spending time with them, I’m getting very excited. Very exciting talent in the team. It’s a bit shocking to see we have so much talent in Kerala cricket. I request that we have to put in some special eyes in the local games going on, especially all the players. In the next one or two years, we should see one more guy playing for the country. And I can see that happening. With this talent, I don’t think that we are much far away,” said Samson.
Asia Cup bid
Since 2024, the 30-year-old has been an exceptional T20I opener for India. In just five innings against Bangladesh and South Africa, Samson hit three centuries. He ended last year as India’s top T20I batter, scoring 436 runs in 12 innings with an impressive average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 180.16.
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However, as India begins its Asia Cup conquest on September 10 in Dubai, Samson’s opening spot will be under the scanner as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side are likely to punt on Abhishek Sharma and Gill at the top.
