Sanju Samson, the biggest cricket star from Kerala, will not be part of the inaugural edition of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL). Earlier today (August 10), the auction for the KCL 2024 season took place at the Hyatt Regency. A total of 168 players went under the hammer, and 114 were bought by the six franchises. The costliest buy was all-rounder MS Akhil, who went to Trivandrum Royals for Rs 7.4 lakh.
A reason why Samson may have decided not to put his name in the auction could be the upcoming 2024-25 domestic season. The KCL 2024 season will start on September 2, three days before the Duleep Trophy kicks off. The wicketkeeper batter has yet to earn himself a Test call-up for India and would be looking to prove his worth in first-class cricket to reach one step closer to earn a Test cap.
Before the auction, the franchise had selected one icon player and therefore selected 19 players each, with franchises allowed a 20-player squad each by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). These icon players were Abdul Basith (Trivandrum Royals), Sachin Baby (Kollam Sailors), Mohammed Azharuddeen (Alleppey Ripples), Basil Thampi (Kochi Blue Tigers), Vishnu Vinod (Thrissur Titans), and Rohan Kunnummal (Calicut Globstars).
The players were divided into three categories. Those who have played IPL or Ranji Trophy were in Category A and had a base price of Rs 2 lakh. Experience of C K Naidu, U-23, U-19 State, and U-19 Challengers placed you in Category B with a base price of Rs 1 lakh, and Category C was reserved for U-16 state players, university players, and club cricketers with a base price of Rs 50000.
Akhil wasn’t the only player to go big at the KCL 2024 auction. 21-year-old wicketkeeper batter Varun Nayanar was picked for Rs 7.2 lakh by the Thrissur Titans, while batting all-rounder Manu Krishnan and southpaw batter Salman Nizar found a home at the Kochi Blue Tigers and Calicut Globstars for Rs 7 lakh each.
Costliest picks of KCL 2024 Auction
- MS Akhil (Trivandrum Royals: Rs 7.4 lakh)
- Varun Nayanar (Thrissur Titans: Rs 7.2 lakh)
- Manu Krishan (Kochi Blue Tigers: Rs 7 lakh)
- Salman Nizar (Calicut Globstars: Rs 7 lakh)
- M Ajinas (Calicut Globstars: Rs 6.2 lakh)
- Krishna Prasad (Alleppey Ripples: Rs 6.2 lakh)
- KM Asif (Kollam Sailors: Rs 5.2 lakh)
- Vinod Kumar C V (Trivandrum Royals: Rs 5 lakh)
- Akshay Chandran (Alleppey Ripples: Rs 5 lakh )
- Nikhil M (Calicut Globstars: Rs 4.6 lakh)
