Sanju Samson's alleged rift with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) can now be considered a thing of the past as the wicket-keeper batter is all set to feature in the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL).
The Kochi Blue Tigers franchise picked up Samson for a league record price of ₹26.6 lakh, which was more than half of their allotted budget for the auctions. Samson, who is also the official ambassador of the KCL, wasn't part of the first season owing to international committments. It was also a time when the 30-year-old was having a cold war with the KCA.
In late 2024, Samson was surprisingly excluded from the Kerala squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy for not attending a mandatory camp held for the side prior to the tournament. The India star, however, had gone on record stating that he had given prior communication to the Board about being unable to attend the camp. However, the KCA refused to acknowledge or comment on this aspect, thereby raising tensions.
It also came to a point where there were speculations about Samson potentially changing his domestic team for the 2025-26 season. Quite a few players, including India stars, have opted for this move during the off-season. Samson is also rumoured to be on the verge of leaving his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals for whom he has been captain since the last few seasons.
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There are reported interests from Chennai Super Kings and two other franchises but the RR management is yet to break the ice on this topic. Regarding his association with Kerala cricket, Samson looks set to continue with his native state, if the KCL developments are anything to go by.
While Samson, expectedly, broke the records for being the costliest buy, fellow wicket-keeper batter Vishnu Vinod was second on the list at ₹13.8 lakh while veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena followed closely at ₹12.6 lakh.
The second edition of the KCL will be held from August 22 to September 7.