Kochi Blue Tigers Splash Record-Breaking 26.8 Lakh to Acquire Sanju Samson for KCL 2025

Sanju Samson becomes the most expensive player in the Kerala Cricket League

The Pulluvila, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-born cricketer just registered his name in the record books, becoming the most expensive buy ever in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) player auction.

Samson was named the tournament's brand ambassador after missing the tournament's 2024 edition because of international duty. However, with Team India playing Test cricket in England and Samson not being part of it, the wicketkeeper has been allowed to register for the tournament, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in 2026.

The India international batsman was included in their squad by the Kochi Blue Tigers, who spent 26.8 lakh for him. Kochi spent over half of their budget on the high-profile signing of Samson with teams only permitted a purse of 50 Lakh.

The Kochi Blue Tigers bid this high amount for Samson not only because he is one of the best talents ever to break through from the region, but also because he has gained national recognition and brings a spotlight to the league.

Some of the other big deals that happened in the Kerala Cricket League 2025 player auction include wicketkeeper Vishnu Vinod signed by Aries Kollam Sailors for 12.80 Lakh, while legendary all-rounder Jalaj Saxena will be turning out for the Alleppey Ripples for 12.40 Lakh.

Can Sanju Samson play the full KCL 2025 season?

It must be noted that the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025 edition has been scheduled to be played from August 21, with the final match to be played on September 6.

Although there are no international matches scheduled for this time period, one of India’s most important red ball tournaments, the Duleep Trophy, will be played starting from August 28.

For players hoping to play Test cricket for Team India, the Duleep Trophy is a crucial competition. Sanju Samson was part of the tournament last year when he played for the India D team, scoring 196 runs in 4 innings.

In case the wicketkeeper batter is selected to play in the tournament, then he won't be able to fulfil his commitment with the Kochi Blue Tigers in the KCL 2025.

However, given the importance of the T20 World Cup next year, there might be a chance that Sanju opts out of the Duleep Trophy to keep playing in KCL to further work on his T20 game before the mega event, where Team India will be hoping to defend the title they won in 2024.

Sanju Samson is of trade interest to CSK and KKR

Meanwhile, there are huge speculations that Sanju Samson could be traded to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

According to reports by Cricbuzz, Chennai Super Kings have shown great interest in Sanju ahead of next season. The franchise is currently on the lookout for a long-term replacement for MS Dhoni, and Samson is being touted as the most likely option.

According to various reports during the IPL 2025 season, Sanju Samson’s relationship with the Rajasthan Royals management has deteriorated due to unknown reasons. Samson also had an up-and-down season where he had to battle with injuries.

In order to trade in Samson, CSK is reportedly willing to trade Shivam Dube and Ravichandran Ashwin back to the Royals family. CSK is not the only team, though, as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are also apparently interested in the wicketkeeper-batter, who is also expected to be appointed the team's captain. In contrast, CSK is still likely to choose Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain.

Sanju has a long-standing relationship with the Rajasthan Royals franchise, playing for them since 2013. However, 2026 is looking most likely to be the year when that relationship comes to an end. In the IPL 2025 season, Samson scored 285 runs in 9 innings with a strike rate of 140.39 and an average of 31.67.

He missed a few matches due to an injury while he was only playing as a specialist batter at the start of the season, as he was recovering from an injury suffered while playing the T20I series vs England earlier in the year.