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Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will be leading Keralam in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) starting from November 14 onwards, reported Cricinfo.
Samson's team will start their campaign against Madhya Pradesh at PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh from November 14. Vishnu Vinod, Keralam's red-ball captain, is also part of the 18-member squad alongside domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena. Stars from Kerala Cricket League (KCL) have been rewarded too, with top-order batter Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev, the batting allrounder making it to the squad. Right-arm pacer KM Asif and left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur add more firepower to the squad. Keralam are placed in Group C alongside Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura. Last season under Samson, they failed to make it to the knockouts, finishing fourth in their group. Samson has not had a productive run as of late in New Zealand, firing scores of 14, 18, 4 and 4 after a quickfire 67 in the first T20I. However overall, he has been enjoying a rich run in the format, including a 'Player of the Tournament' campaign in India's T20 World Cup win, with 319 runs including three back-to-back fifties from Super Eights to the finals. This year in 30 T20Is, he has made 810 runs at an average of 27.93 and a strike rate of 173.44, including eight fifties and a best score of 97*. Including his two centuries in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Samson has made 1,287 runs in 44 T20s this year at an average of 32.17 and a strike rate of over 170, with two centuries and nine fifties. Keralam squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Rohan Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev, Krishna Devan, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Salman Nizar, Akhil Scaria, Nikhil M, Vignesh Puthur, Biju Narayanan, Karthik B Nair, Vaisakh Chandran, KM Asif, Nidheesh MD, Sharafuddeen NM, Jalaj Saxena. (ANI)
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