KCL 2026 Retentions: Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby Released – Full List of Retained Players by Kerala Cricket League Teams before Season 3 Auction

With the player auction for the third edition of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) drawing closer, all six franchises have confirmed their list of retained players ahead of the KCL 2026 season.

As per league regulations, each team is allowed to retain a maximum of four players ahead of the auction.

Aries Kollam Sailors and Thrissur Titans have made full use of the retention rule by keeping four players each. Calicut Globstars and Trivandrum Royals have retained three players apiece, while Kochi Blue Tigers have opted to keep two players. Alleppey Ripples, meanwhile, have retained only one cricketer ahead of the auction.

Aries Kollam Sailors have retained N.M. Sharafuddeen and Abhishek J. Nair from Category A, along with Category B players Pawan Raj and Vijay Viswanath. Sharafuddeen, one of the franchise’s most dependable all-rounders over the past two seasons, will earn ₹7.5 lakh, while Abhishek J. Nair, who finished as the team’s second-highest run-scorer last season, has been retained for ₹5 lakh. Pawan Raj and Vijay Viswanath will each receive ₹1.5 lakh.

Thrissur Titans have retained Category A duo Ahmad Imran and Shoun Roger, in addition to Category C players Aditya Vinod and A.K. Arjun. Imran, who enjoyed an outstanding campaign last season by scoring 437 runs to finish as the league’s second-highest run-getter, has been retained for ₹7.5 lakh. Shoun Roger will receive ₹5 lakh, while Aditya Vinod and A.K. Arjun have been retained for ₹1.5 lakh each.

Calicut Globstars have once again placed their faith in their established core by retaining Salman Nizar, Rohan S. Kunnummal and Akhil Scaria from Category A. Salman Nizar, renowned for producing match-winning knocks, has been retained for ₹7.5 lakh. Rohan S. Kunnummal, the franchise’s leading run-scorer last season with 337 runs, will earn ₹5 lakh. Akhil Scaria, last season’s Player of the Tournament and the highest wicket-taker across the first two editions of the league, has been retained for ₹3.75 lakh.

Trivandrum Royals have retained their leading batsman Krishna Prasad, who topped the run-scoring charts in the previous season, for ₹7.5 lakh. The Royals have also kept V. Ajith from Category C and Govind Dev Pai from Category B, with both players receiving ₹1.5 lakh.

Kochi Blue Tigers have retained two Category C players. Captain Saly Samson, who guided the side to title last season, has been retained for ₹7.5 lakh, while Mohammed Ashiq will remain with the franchise for ₹1.5 lakh.

Alleppey Ripples have chosen to retain just one player ahead of the auction, securing the services of Category A wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Azharuddeen for ₹7.5 lakh.

Sanju Samson not Retained

Sanju Samson, who played for Kochi Blue Tigers last season, is not among the retained players. There is uncertainty over the India star’s availability in the KCL season, which led to the franchise not retaining him. Former Kerala captain Sachin Baby has also been released by his franchise.

KCL 2026 Auction

The player auction for the third season of the Kerala Cricket League is scheduled to be held on July 11, with franchises set to strengthen their squads for the upcoming campaign.

Kerala Cricket League 2026 Retained Players

Aries Kollam Sailors: N.M. Sharafuddeen, Abhishek J. Nair, Pawan Raj, Vijay Viswanath

Thrissur Titans: Ahammad Imran, Shoun Roger, Aditya Vinod, A.K. Arjun

Calicut Globstars: Salman Nizar, Rohan S. Kunnummal, Akhil Scaria

Trivandrum Royals: Krishna Prasad, Govind Dev Pai, V. Ajith

Kochi Blue Tigers: Saly Samson, Mohammed Ashiq

Alleppey Ripples: Mohammed Azharuddeen