Sanju Samson is the most expensive player in KCL 2025.
Sanju Samson returned to the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025 in style, making a runout by joining forces with his brother Saly on Thursday, August 21. Playing as vice-captain for Kochi Blue Tigers, Sanju made an immediate impact in the campaign opener against Adani Trivandrum Royals.
Royals’ opener Subin S pushed the ball towards mid-off and ran for a risky single. Sanju quickly collected the ball and threw it towards the bowler’s end. His elder brother and captain, Saly, received it cleanly and inflicted the run-out. The rare incident drew attention from social media users, with fans enjoying a wicket as an unforgettable start to the new season. The Royals were eventually bundled out for a below-par target of 97 runs. The moment also featured the leadership duo of the Samson brothers, who are eyeing to guide Kochi Blue Tigers to a title triumph.
Sanju didn’t come out to open the innings for the Tigers. He was slotted to bat at number five. Saly, on the other hand, bowled two overs and conceded just eight runs at four runs per over. While the 30-year-old didn’t pick a wicket, the Samson brothers inflicted a run out on the very first ball of the match.
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Sanju returned to competitive cricket for the first time since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The wicketkeeper-batter had a decent IPL 2025 season and missed five games for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) due to injury. The outing came a couple of days after Sanju was named in India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup 2025. However, his place in the playing XI came under scrutiny after Shubman Gill was named as vice-captain.
Sanju was opening the innings for India in T20I cricket in recent times. But with Gill being the vice-captain, he is likely to open with Abhishek Sharma, who can also contribute with the ball. As a result, Sanju might have to bat at number 3 or down the order if team management opts to go with Gill and Sharma as openers. He has already shown some signs of facing the heat and is attempting to stake his claim in the middle order.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while addressing the press conference, said, “The captain-coach will take the call on the best balance for the team. Once we get to Dubai, we will have a bit more clarity. With more options available now, Shubman has been in great form for the last few months. So has Sanju, so two good options, along with Abhishek.”
