Shastri hails Samson’s form, says he is dangerous in top order
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri made a huge appreciation of Sanju Samson’s latest form in the T-20 format. He urged the team management to allow the batsman to play within the ‘top-three’. The Asia Cup T-20 will start on 9th September, as India begin their campaign against hosts UAE in Dubai on 10th September. Sanju Samson has been in inspiring form since he started playing as an opener in 2024, scoring 861 runs in 41 T20Is. The Indian wicketkeeper has scored three T20I hundreds in just 12 innings, maintaining a strike rate of 152.38. However, his performance drops significantly when batting in other positions, with a highest score of only 29 in nine innings. “Samson is most dangerous in the top three. That is where he can win matches. He should be left there. Samson has a strong record for India at the top in T20s, ” explained Shastri, who coached India from 2017 to 2021. “Samson should continue playing the way he has for India in T20s. He has been consistent at the top with big runs and hundreds,” Shastri added. Shastri, speaking on the bowling department, said he believes spin will play a crucial role in the upcoming tournament. “Given the conditions in Dubai and the heat, spin will definitely be the flavour of the month. Teams like Afghanistan might even play four spinners. Whether it’s two or three, it depends on balance, but spinners will certainly be in big demand in Dubai. You need both finger spin and wrist spin. India has that luxury, and they’ll all come into play depending on conditions,” the former spin-bowling all-rounder said.
Sanju Samson becomes the most expensive player at KCL auction, joins Kochi Blue Tigers for Rs 26.80 Lakh
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.
S Sreesanth pays the price of a three-year ban for favoring Samson!
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has suspended former India pacer S Sreesanth for three years for allegedly making false and derogatory statements against it in connection with the controversy surrounding Sanju Samson’s omission from the Indian team for the Champions Trophy. According to reports from PTI, the KCA in a statement said the decision was taken at its special General Body meeting held in Kochi on 30th April. Sreesanth is currently a co-owner of Kollam Aeries, a franchise team in the Kerala Cricket League. Earlier, in relation to his controversial remarks, show-cause notices had been issued to Sreesanth as well as to the franchise teams Kollam Aeries, Alappuzha Team Lead, and Alappuzha Ripples. “Since the franchise teams gave satisfactory responses to the notices, no further action will be taken against them. However, the meeting decided to advise greater caution when appointing members to team management,” the statement said. The General Body also resolved to file a compensation claim against Sanju Samson’s father, Samson Vishwanath, and two others for making baseless allegations using Sanju Samson’s name, it added. The KCA had issued a show-cause notice to Sreesanth–who was part of the India squad that won two World Cup titles–for his remarks linking the state cricket body and Samson during a panel discussion on a Malayalam television channel. In a statement, the KCA clarified that the notice was not issued for supporting Samson but for making misleading and defamatory comments against the association. During the televised discussion, Sreesanth allegedly pledged his support to Samson and vowed to protect him and other Kerala players, while leveling accusations against the KCA. His remarks came amid criticism of the KCA for dropping Samson from the Kerala squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was believed to have affected his chances of being selected for India’s Champions Trophy team.
