Sanju Samson named Kerala captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026
Sanju Samson has been named Kerala captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026 starting on Saturday, November 24, 2026.
The India opener will lead an 18-member squad, which will kickstart its campaign against Madhya Pradesh at the PCA Stadium in Tira, near Mohali.
Kerala and MP have been drawn in Group C alongside Andhra, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura.
Samson led Kerala to fourth place in Elite Group A in the competition last year, missing out on a spot in the Super League. He scored 233 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 137.86, finishing as the team’s second-highest run-scorer behind Rohan Kunnummal.
Red-ball captain Vishnu Vinod and his predecessor Mohammed Azharuddeen have also been named in the squad. Veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena who returned to the team ahead of the Ranji Trophy also finds a place.
Vignesh Puthur, who has represented Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and K. M. Asif, who was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaigns in 2018 and 2021 have also been included.
Kerala squad for SMAT 2026:
Sanju V Samson (C) (WK), Rohan S Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen (WK), Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev D Pai, Krishna Devan R J, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Salman Nizar, Akhil Scaria, Nikhil M, Vignesh Puthur, Biju Narayanan N, Karthik B Nair, Vaisakh Chandran, Asif K M, Nidheesh M D, Sharafuddeen NM, Jalaj Saxena
Published on Nov 10, 2026
