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