THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cricketer Sanju Samson unveiled the logo of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) at an event organised by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) at Hyatt Regency on Friday. Sanju, who is the KCL icon, expressed enthusiasm about the league’s potential to showcase Kerala’s cricket talent on a global stage. “This platform is a crucial step towards achieving our goal of increasing Kerala’s representation in major tournaments like the IPL. Currently, we have seven-eight players in the IPL and I hope to see 5-10 more in the future,” said Sanju.
Extensive planning and efforts have gone into establishing the KCL since 2021, he said. Sanju also said he was proud of being able to participate in the T20 World Cup and that it was one of his greatest achievements as a Keralite.
The logo launch took place in the presence of the participating franchises — Trivandrum Royals, Kollam Sailors, Alleppey Ripples, Kochi Blue Tigers, Thrissur Titans, and Calicut Globestars. Each of their logos were displayed.
A player auction is scheduled to be held at Hyatt Regency at 10am on Saturday. Charu Sharma, an Indian commentator, will conduct the briefing. The auction will feature 168 shortlisted players divided into three categories with different base salaries.
Category A includes players who have played in IPL and Ranji Trophy, with a base salary of `2 lakh. Category B includes players who have participated in CK Naydu Under-23, Under-19 state, and Under-19 challengers tournaments, with a base salary of `1 lakh. Category C includes Under-16 state, university players and club cricketers with a base salary of `50,000.
The auction will be broadcast live on Star Sports 3 and the OTT platform FanCode.
Notable players selected earlier include P A Abdul Basith (Trivandrum Royals), Sachin Baby (Kollam Sailors), Mohammed Azharuddeen (Alappuzha Ripples), Basil Thampi (Kochi Blue Tigers), Vishnu Vinod (Thrissur Titans), and Rohan S Kunnumal (Calicut Globestars).
Matches will be held from September 2 to 19 at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, with two matches scheduled for each day. KCL’s official launch will take place at noon on August 31 which will be officiated by its brand ambassador actor Mohanlal.
Meanwhile, KCA announced a donation of `1 crore to the CMDRF to support the landslide victims.
KCA president Jayesh George, secretary Vinod S Kumar, treasurer K M Abdul Rahiman, KCL chairman Nasar Machan, governing council member P J Navas, and CFO and interim CEO Minnu Chidambaram attended the event.