Samson named captain of Kerala’s 18-player SMAT squad

The Kerala Cricket Association named Sanju Samson captain of an 18-player squad for the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, giving the wicketkeeper-batter leadership of the state side for the coming domestic T20 campaign.

The association announced the squad on November 10. Kerala is in Group C and is scheduled to begin its campaign against Madhya Pradesh on November 14. The fixture is reported for New Chandigarh, although one account said its match details were editor-supplied and had not been independently verified.

The squad includes experienced players Vishnu Vinod, who captains Kerala in red-ball cricket, former Kerala captain Mohammed Azharuddeen and spinner Jalaj Saxena. Batters Ahammed Imran and Govind Dev, both noted for performances in the Kerala Cricket League, were also selected. The 18 players are Samson, Rohan Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev, Krishna Devan, Vishnu Vinod, Salman Nizar, Akhil Scaria, Nikhil M, Vignesh Puthur, Biju Narayanan, Karthik B Nair, Vaisakh Chandran, KM Asif, Nidheesh MD, Sharafuddeen NM and Jalaj Saxena.

Kerala’s Group C opponents are Madhya Pradesh, Andhra, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura....