Sanju Samson to lead Keralam in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
The 18-member squad will begin their campaign against Madhya Pradesh on November 14 at the PCA Stadium.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will captain Keralam in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), according to The Tribune. The tournament is scheduled to begin on November 14.
Keralam will start their campaign against Madhya Pradesh at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on the opening day. The team has been placed in Group C alongside Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura.
The 18-member squad includes red-ball captain Vishnu Vinod and domestic player Jalaj Saxena. Kerala Cricket League (KCL) performers Ahammed Imran and batting allrounder Govind Dev have also been selected, while the bowling attack features KM Asif and Vignesh Puthur.
Last season under Samson's leadership, the team finished fourth in their group and failed to reach the knockouts. Samson has recently recorded scores of 14, 18, 4 and 4 in New Zealand after an initial 67 in the first T20I.
Despite recent struggles, Samson was named Player of the Tournament during India's T20 World Cup win, scoring 319 runs. This year, he has made 810 runs in 30 T20Is at an average of 27.93 and a strike rate of 173.44.
Including his two centuries for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Samson has scored 1,287 runs in 44 T20s this year at an average of 32.17.