Sanju Samson has officially become the most expensive player in Kerala Cricket League (KCL) history, as the India international was picked up by Kochi Blue Tigers for a staggering Rs 26.80 lakh in the Season 2 player auction held in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday (5th July).
The Kochi franchise broke the bank for Samson, whose bidding war started at Rs 5 lakh. Unsurprisingly, there was a bidding war for the biggest name in the auction, with Thrissur Titans taking the bid to Rs 20 lakh. Finally, the star player was bagged by Kochi. It is fascinating that Kochi splashed 26.80 lac, which is more than 50% of the total purse allotted (Rs 50 lac) to all the franchises. Now, it could be quite hard for them to form the rest of the team with the remaining Rs 23.2 lakh.
The price tag shattered the previous auction record of Rs 7.4 lakh, paid for M. Sajeevan Akhil by Trivandrum Royals in the inaugural edition. In fact, Basil Thampi, this year’s first player to go under the hammer, went to the Royals for Rs 8.4 lakh, but that was before Kochi made headlines with their all-in bid for the biggest name in the pool.
Last year, Sanju Samson featured in KCL 2024 only as the league’s ambassador, unable to play due to his international commitments. However, with India’s calendar relatively clear ahead of the (likely) Asia Cup 2025, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter made himself available for the auction this time around.
After a disrupted IPL 2025, where injuries and poor form restricted him to just 285 runs in 9 innings (with one fifty), the KCL will give him valuable game time and a shot at regaining form before national selection picks up pace again.
With the Kerala Cricket League 2025 scheduled from 21st August 21 to 6th September, Samson’s participation will bring both eyeballs and crowds.
