He was the brand ambassador of Kerala Cricket League last year.
Amidst the speculations of him moving to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has registered his name for the upcoming Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025 auction.
Nazir Machan, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) governing council chairman, confirmed on Monday that Samson has officially signed up for the KCL player auction, scheduled on July 5. The state association is expected to announce further details for the second edition after a franchise meeting on June 26.
“A source in the KCA said the wicketkeeper batter has registered for the KCL auction, declaring his willingness to participate in the franchise league, which is expected to take place ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season,” the media report from Sportstar stated.
After a forgetful IPL 2025 season marred by a couple of injuries, the Kerala cricketer will feature in the home state’s franchise T20 league. While he had been the brand ambassador of the competition last year, he will make his first appearance in the upcoming season. He is named in Category A with Sachin Baby and IPL 2025 rising star Vignesh Puthur, alongside 36 others.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper had a falling out with the KCA management regarding his non-participation in a pre-season camp last year. However, his presence in the six-team league will be a major boost for the competition and the state team’s domestic campaign.
The right-hand batter played as an Impact Player early on in the IPL 2025 season due to a finger fracture. A subsequent abdominal injury kept him out for a few matches again. His injury opened the gates for 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to feature in the playing XI.
Keeping Sooryavanshi’s form and his partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, Samson demoted himself to number 3. He managed just 285 runs in nine matches at an average of 35.62 and a strike-rate of 140.39, including just one fifty. With India scheduled to play its next white-ball game after two months, the Kerala cricketer has a chance to regain his full fitness. He will look at KCL 2025 as dress rehearsals for the upcoming home season. His presence is likely to attract significant viewership and bring national attention to the tournament.
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Ahead of the auction, a franchise can retain a maximum of four players with a limitation of three capped cricketers. Teams will be eligible to use the Right-to-Match (RTM) card if they do not exercise the retention option. They can reclaim the services of players during the auction using the RTM card.
The Aries Kollam Sailors lifted the KCL trophy in the inaugural season, defeating Calicut Globstars by six wickets in the final. In a high-scoring final, captain Sachin Baby played a 150-run knock off just 54 balls to power his side to chase down the 214-run target in the summit clash. He also emerged as the leading run-getter of the tournament and earned the Orange Cap with 528 runs from 12 matches.
The tournament not just provided entertainment to the fans, but also gave a stage for youngsters like Vignesh Puthur to showcase their skills. Puthur joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 30 lakhs in IPL 2025. The 24-year-old spinner played five games for the five-time champions and claimed six wickets.
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