Latest news with #KeralaCricketLeague
New Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Kerala will have India's best sports facilities in five yrs: Min
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will become the state with the best basic sports facilities in the country within the next five years, Sports Minister V Abdurahiman has said. He was speaking at the launch of the second Kerala Cricket League (KCL) at the Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. With Kerala cricket going through a crucial phase, the minister said efforts are under way to elevate the sport to the desired level. Abdurahiman also unveiled the KCL mascots -- Bat-wielding Tusker, Hornbill, and Chakyar. Star player Sanju Samson said KCL will be the best platform for Kerala players to showcase their prowess. 'The talent and potential of Kerala's players is now a topic of discussion even in the Indian team's dressing room,' Sanju said. He also expressed the hope that KCL will become one of the best domestic cricket leagues. Actor Keerthy Suresh, the co-owner of the Trivandrum Royals, said the rise of female cricketers from the state is a reflection of the talent available in Kerala. Kerala Ranji Trophy star Salman Nisar released the league's fan jersey by handing it over Sanju.
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Kerala Cricket League Season 2 to be launched on July 20
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Cricket League (KCL) second season will be launched in the state capital on Sunday. Sports Minister V Abdurahiman will inaugurate the event and unveil the official mascots of the league at Nishagandhi Auditorium. Cricketers Sanju Samson and Salman Nisar will launch the fan jerseys for the season during the ceremony. Abdurahiman will also flag off the KCL Trophy Motorcade, which will travel across the state to promote the tournament. The event will be attended by Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth, KCA officials, including president Jayesh George, franchise owners, including Priyadarshan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Keerthy Suresh and T S Kaladharan, among others. The launch will be followed by a live performance by the music band Agam. As part of the tournament promotions, a trophy tour will also be conducted across seven districts.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Promising youngsters get a raw deal at Kerala Cricket League auction
The player auction for the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) left many junior cricketers in the State disappointed and it raised serious questions about the aim of the fledgling league in promoting talent. Twenty-three players, who represented the State in Cooch Behar Trophy, Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy or Vijay Merchant Trophy, went unsold in the auction. The notable omission being Mohammed Enaan, the India under-19 player currently touring England. Manav Krishna, who was chosen as the Promising Player in the NSK Trophy T20 tournament, also went unsold. Abi Biju, S. Abhiram, Kamil Aboobacker, Kiran Sagar and Rohan Nair were among the players who found no buyers. Of the 49 players registered in Category B with base price of ₹1.5 lakh, only 16 were picked by the teams while 49 out of the 84 players in Category C with a base price of ₹75,000 were traded in the auction. The auction threw up surprises like 42-year-old K.J. Rakesh, who served as junior selector last season, getting picked while many promising youngsters were overlooked. 'The teams splurged money to buy Category A players and exhausted half of their purse. They then looked for cheaper players in Category C, sidestepping Category B players. The KCA made a mistake by not allowing unsold players in Category B to be traded along with Category C players at a reduced base price like it did with Category A players. Most of the coaches of the franchises teams were based abroad and weren't familiar with the local talent,'' said Biju George, former Indian women team's fielding coach and current talent scout of Kolkata Knight Riders. The KCA secretary Vinod S. Kumar admitted the mistake and said the association will make it mandatory for the team to pick a fixed number of Category B players from next season onwards. 'We didn't foresee such a scenario this season. The bidding for Category A players left the teams short of money and some barely managed to buy the minimum number of 16 players. For the next season we are thinking of making it mandatory for the teams to pick up a fixed number of players from Category B and even allowing Category B players to be sold along with Category C players at a reduced price. Those at the auction table should not be parochial. The teams also picked some players who either failed the yo-yo test or missed it. I must admit the bidding wasn't fair on some players. The KCL will have some initial flaws which we will rectify in due course of time,'' said Vinod.
India.com
05-07-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Sanju Samson Becomes Kerala Cricket Leagues Most Expensive Player, Picked By Kochi Blue Tigers For THIS Whopping Amount
India wicket-keeper batter and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson became the most expensive player in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) history on Saturday. Samson was picked by Kochi Blue Tigers for Rs. 26.8 lakh at the Kerala Cricket League auction, on June 5. Samson, who was listed at a base price of Rs 3 lakh, saw exponential jumps to Rs 5 lakh and 10 lakh in a matter of moments. The intense bidding war for Sanju eventually ended with a record signing by Kochi Blue Tigers, who spent more than half of their INR 50 lakh purse to add India wicket-keeper in their squad. With this, the 30-year-old Samson broke the previous auction record of Kerala Cricket League (KCL). He surpassed the previous price tag of Rs. 7.4 lakh, paid by Trivandrum Royals for M.S. Akhil. After Samson, Vishnu Vinod received the second-highest bid, picked up by Aries Kollam for Rs 13.8 lakh while veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena was roped in by Alleppey Ripples for Rs 12.4 lakh. Notably, this will be the first appearance for Sanju in the Kerala Cricket League's after missing the inaugural edition of the tournament last year despite being announced as its brand ambassador to prioritise his international commitments. Notably, this will be also Samson's first major appearance in a tournament overseen by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) since being dropped from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad in December 2024 after failing to turn up for a preparatory camp held in Wayanad. Samson was last seen in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. During the IPL 2025 season, Sanju played only nine matches due to injury and scored 285 runs at a strike rate of 140.39 with just one half-century as Rajasthan Royals finished ninth in the 10-team table.
New Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Sanju Samson goes for Rs 26.8 lakh in KCL auction, becomes league's most expensive player
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala batter and Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson became the highest-priced player in the history of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) after Kochi Blue Tigers snapped him up for a record Rs 26.8 lakh at the season 2 auction held on Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram. Samson's price tag shattered the previous KCL record Rs 7.4 lakh for M S Akhil, set by Trivandrum Royals. Sanju Samson, who did not feature in the league's inaugural edition last year, was listed in the 39-player Category A pool for this year's auction. For Samson, the league offers a chance to get back into rhythm following an injury-hit IPL 2025 season where he played just nine matches. The right-handed batter scored 285 runs at a strike rate of 140.39, managing only one fifty as Rajasthan Royals ended their campaign at ninth place in the ten-team standings.
