The captains: Saly Samson, Krishna Prasad, Sachin Baby, Rohan Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen and Sijomon Joseph, after the press conference on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
After its impactful entry into the cricketing ecosystem in the State, the Kerala Cricket League will be aiming to grow exponentially when the second season begins at the Sports Hub Greenfield Stadium on Thursday.
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has taken a novelty-driven driven multifaceted approach to raise the brand value of the league. The biggest boost has been the presence of Sanju Samson, though the star player’s availability for the entire duration of the tournament is still unknown.
Biggest boost
The district-wise trophy tour, fan parks and the new fan engagement app are expected to increase the popularity of the tournament and sufficiently increase the footfalls at the venue this season.
The enhanced live broadcasting on TV (Star Sports, Asianet Plus) and OTT platform (Fancode) will boost viewership significantly from last season.
The captains, during the media interaction on Wednesday, said they expect a no-holds-barred tussle on the field as all teams have prepared well and covered their weaknesses in the auction.
KCL’s most expensive player, Sanju, will be Kochi Blue Tigers’ trump card. However, the experienced Vinoop Manoharan, K.M. Asif and captain Saly Samson will have to rally around Sanju for the Kochi outfit to make an impact this season.
Holder Aries Kollam Sailors, which retained its key players, including captain Sachin Baby and N.M. Sharafuddeen, will be armed with explosive batter Vishnu Vinod and looks like one of the better-balanced sides in the tournament.
Alleppey Ripples’ Vignesh Puthur, who was the find of KCL last season, will be playing his first competitive match after recovering from injury, on Friday. Ripples has made some smart buys in the auction, including that of Jalaj Saxena, and with a clutch of all-rounders, the side will be hoping for a better show.
Thrissur Titans has invested in youngsters this time around and has a new captain in Sijomon Joseph. Rising stars Shoun Roger, Ahammed Imran and Anand Krishnan will be the key players for the Thrissur team.
Runner-up Calicut Globstars will again be banking on its experienced trio of Rohan Kunnummal, Salman Nizar and Akhil Scaria to motor the side through.
Trivandrum Royals, under Krishna Prasad, has a mix of promising and experienced players. The side will be looking for more consistency to go the distance under its new coaching staff.
The tournament starts with a repeat of last year’s final when defending champion Aries Kollam Sailors takes on runner-up Calicut Globstars on Thursday afternoon. The KCL brand ambassador Mohanlal will inaugurate the tournament.
Published – August 20, 2025 07:29 pm IST