Kerala star Sanju Samson will make his first appearance in the Kerala Cricket League’s upcoming second edition after being signed up for Rs 26.60 lakh by Kochi Blue Tigers, making him the most expensive player signing in the league.
Samson, who had been listed at a base price of Rs 3 lakh, saw exponential jumps to Rs 5 lakh and 10 lakh in a matter of moments before the intense bidding war ended with a record signing by Kochi, who spent more than half of their INR 50 lakh purse on the India wicket-keeper’s signing.
This will be Samson’s first major appearance in a tournament overseen by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) since being controversially dropped from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad in December 2024 after failing to turn up for a preparatory camp held in Wayanad. Kerala eventually went onto reach the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in their history, finishing runners-up behind Vidarbha.
Last year, Samson opted for a break from the inaugural edition of the league despite being announced as its brand ambassador to prioritise his international commitments. “Sanju has been playing non-stop cricket from March till July. Two months of IPL plus the T20 World Cup have been taxing. Even after the T20 World Cup, he was part of the Indian T20 teams which toured Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Hence, Sanju asked the KCA (Kerala Cricket Association) officials for a break. His name was not listed in the player auction too,” KCA sources had informed.
Samson then went on to dominate in the opening spot for India in T20Is, scoring three hundreds in four innings against Bangladesh and South Africa, making him the first batter to record three T20I centuries in a calendar year. Samson was last seen in action during the IPL 2025 season with the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 285 runs in nine innings.
Samson’s Kerala teammate Vishnu Vinod received the second-highest bid, snapped up by Aries Kollam for Rs 13.8 lakh. Veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, who plays as a professional for Kerala, was roped in by Alleppey Ripples for Rs 12.4 lakh.
