Sanju Samson named Kerala captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026
The wicketkeeper-batter will lead an 18-member squad starting their campaign on November 24.
Sanju Samson has been appointed as the Kerala captain for the 2026 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, according to India Today. The wicketkeeper-batter will head an 18-man squad for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on November 24.
Kerala is set to play its opening match against Madhya Pradesh at the PCA Stadium in Tira, near Mohali. Both teams are placed in Group C, alongside Andhra, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura.
Samson previously led the side in the last edition, where Kerala finished fourth in Elite Group A. During that campaign, he scored 233 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 137.86, making him the team's second-highest run-scorer after Rohan Kunnummal.
The squad includes red-ball captain Vishnu Vinod, former skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen and veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena. Recent Kerala Cricket League performers Ahammed Imran and Govind Dev D. Pai have also been selected.
The roster features players with IPL experience, such as Vignesh Puthur and K. M. Asif.
The full squad consists of Samson, Rohan S Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev D Pai, Krishna Devan R J, Vishnu Vinod, Salman Nizar, Akhil Scaria, Nikhil M, Vignesh Puthur, Biju Narayanan N, Karthik B Nair, Vaisakh Chandran, Asif K M, Nidheesh M D, Sharafuddeen NM and Jalaj Saxena.