Kochi, Nov 22 (NationPress) Indian white-ball cricketer Sanju Samson has been appointed as the captain of the Kerala senior men's cricket team for the upcoming BCCI Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025/26 (Elite Group-A, League Stage). This prestigious tournament is set to take place in Lucknow from November 26 to December 8, 2025.

The Kerala Cricket Association announced this exciting news in a press release, stating that the team will depart for Lucknow on November 22, 2025, from Indore.

Samson, who recently made headlines by transferring to the Chennai Super Kings from the Rajasthan Royals in a significant trade involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, was also part of the Indian squad that triumphed in the recent Asia Cup T20 held in the UAE. As the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 approaches, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Samson aims to continue his impressive form.

The team, under the guidance of Amay Khurasiya, a former Indian player, features notable players including Vignesh Puthur, who was recently released by the Mumbai Indians, as well as Mohammed Azharuddeen M and Rohan S Kunnummal.

The complete Kerala squad is as follows:

Sanju V Samson (C)(WK), Rohan S Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen M (WK), Ahammed Imran (VC), Vishnu Vinod (WK), Nidheesh M.D, Asif KM, Akhil Scaria, Biju Narayanan N., Ankit Sharma, Krishna Devan R.J, Abdul Bazith P.A, Sharafuddeen N.M, Sibin P Gireesh, Krishna Prasad, Saly V Samson, Vignesh Puthur, and Salman Nizar.

The team staff includes Nazir Machan (Observer), Amay Khurasiya (Head Coach), Davis J Manavalan (Coach), Vyshakh Krishna (S&C Coach), Unnikrishnan R S (Physiotherapist), Gireesh E K (Throw down Specialist), Deepesh Sharma (Throw down Specialist), Vijay Srinivasan P S (Performance Analyst), and Kiran A S (Team Masseur).

Accompanying the team will be P Prasanth, the Chairman of the Selection Committee.