While Kochi Blue Tigers claimed a close win against Alleppey Ripple on Sunday (August 31) night during the 22nd match of the Kerala Cricket League 2025, their star opener Sanju Samson played another powerful knock. 

After Alleppey Ripple scored 176/6 in 20 overs after losing the toss, Kochi Blue Tigers chased the target in 18.2 overs while losing seven wickets, as Kochi Blue Tigers won by three wickets. While none of their second batter managed to cross the 25-run mark, as the opener Vinoop Manoharan (23) and no.8 batter Jerin PS's match-winning cameo of 25 not out off 13 balls, Samson slammed 83 off 41 balls with two fours and nine sixes.

[WATCH]: 11 Sixes From Salman Nizar Make History in Kerala Cricket League

Watch: Sanju Samson's 3 sixes in an over

In the fourth over of the chase, Samson collected 20 runs in the last five balls, including three sixes. After hitting a no-look sixer straight down the ground on the second ball of the over, he smashed an over boundary just over long on on the fifth delivery, and ended that over with another sixer over deep mid-wicket. 

Sanju Samson’s sixes resound like thunder across the Greenfield International Stadium ⚡️#KCLSeason2 #KCL2025 pic.twitter.com/liOQ6b5ftF

— Kerala Cricket League (@KCL_t20) August 31, 2025

Samson later completed his half-century in 32 balls with a sixer. Later, he started the 13th over with three consecutive sixes, as the right-handed opening batter collected 25 runs in that over, including one more four. In the next over, Samson lost his wicket while his team still needed 42 runs in 37 balls with six wickets in hand. 

Sanju Samson: 2nd leading run-scorer in KCL 2025

While Sanju Samson's team Kochi Blue Tigers are leading the KCL 2025 points table with 12 points in eight matches, with six wins and two losses, Samson is the second leading run-scorer with 368 runs in five innings with an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 186.80, including three half-centuries. He has hit 24 fours and 30 sixes in this tournament, holding the record of most sixes in the ongoing KCL edition. 

T20 cricket is all about explosive batting and crazy moments, and Salman Nizar produced a crazy moment in the Kerala Cricket League. The left-handed batter produced a whirlwind innings, hitting 11 sixes in the last two overs to turn a struggling innings into a respectable total for his side, the Calicut Globstars.

The 28-year-old southpaw has already made an impression in domestic cricket while representing Kerala in first-class matches. In the next season of the Kerala Cricket League, Nizar has been in exceptional form, scoring 296 runs in six matches and is the second-highest run scorer in the tournament. However, in the most recent innings against Adani Trivandrum Royals, Nizar’s innings was a spectacle and one that would go down in Kerala league history.

ALSO SEE: Duleep Trophy 2025 Round 1: All Scores from Day 3

11 Sixes in 2 Overs: Nizar Turns Game on Its Head

He came into bat in the 14th over and joined an innings where wickets were tumbling around him. After 18 overs of play, the score was 115/6 for the Globstars, and the Royals were in complete control. That was about to change quickly when Nizar decided to unleash his power, hitting.

Watch the video:

6,6,6,6,6,1,6,6,6,6,6,6 BY SALMAN NIZAR IN KCL 🥶

- One of the Craziest Six Hitting ever, 11 Sixes in the last 12 balls. pic.twitter.com/NpQiUhzTU7

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 30, 2025

In the 19th over, bowled by veteran pacer Basil Thampi, Nizar hit five successive sixes and a single for 31 runs. The tide had turned, but the fireworks were not finished. In the final over, facing Abhijith Praveen V, Nizar launched an unanswerable attack and hit six more sixes, one of which was off a no-ball, a wide, and ended the over with 40 runs to his credit.

From 17 from 13 balls at the end of the 18th over, Nizar went on to finish unbeaten on 86 not out from just 26 balls and lead Calicut Globstars to 186/6 + 70 in 12 balls, which has to go down as one of the great cameos in Kerala cricket history.

For Nizar, it was not just a display of raw power but also a declaration of intent. Nizar was already labelled as a talented prospect, but this knock has established him as one of the more exciting finishers in India's domestic system.

In a ground-breaking development, Kerala batter and Rajasthan Royals’ captain Sanju Samson hogged the headlines by becoming the most expensive player to be purchased in the history of Kerala Premier League. Samson was acquired by the Kochi Blue Tigers franchise for a whopping INR 26.80 Lakhs. This development comes amid rumors of him parting ways with RR to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

As per emerging reports, various franchises expressed their interestest in securing the services of the flamboyant wicketkeeper batter following the conclusion of IPL 2025. However, Samson has yet to make up his mind and has not publicly issued any statement on this evolving story.  

In the auction, Sampson broke all barriers as he went past the previous record of M.S. Akhil, who was bought for an amount of INR 7.4 lakh by Trivandrum Royals. 

See also: Samson-Varma destructive centuries drive India to 283/1

Here is how the bidding war unfolded in the KCL 2025 auction

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍! 💸🔥

Sanju Samson – international icon, IPL star, Ranji powerhouse is sold to Kochi Blue Tigers for ₹26.8L! The roar just got louder 🐅💙#KCL2025 #KCLSeason2 pic.twitter.com/gU9I96emkz

— Kerala Cricket League (@KCL_t20) July 5, 2025

Sanju Samson was listed at a base price of INR 3 lakh. But as the bidding war gathered pace, his price shot up to INR 5 lakh and then INR 10 lakh in a matter of moments. The bidding war came to an end eventually when the Kochi Blue Tigers spent more than half of their INR 50 lakh purse value on the India wicket-keeper's signing.

Samson is now all set to make his maiden appearance in the second edition of the KCL. Previously, in light of his international duties, Samson had requested a break and skipped the inaugural edition of the KCL despite being announced as its brand ambassador. However, this recent development now marks Samson's first high-profile participation in a tournament managed by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) following his controversial exclusion from the Vijay Hazare Trophy team in December 2024, which occurred after he did not attend a preparatory camp conducted in Wayanad.

Ultimately, Kerala advanced to the Ranji Trophy final for the first time ever, concluding the tournament as runners-up to Vidarbha.

In a major boost for Kerala cricket, Indian wicketkeeper-batter and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is confirmed to play in the upcoming season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL). The news was confirmed by Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) governing council chairman Nazir Machan, who told Sportstar on Monday that Samson has officially signed up for the KCL player auction, scheduled to take place on July 5.

Samson, who served only as the brand ambassador for the league during its inaugural season in 2024, will now be seen on the field, representing his home state. He enters the player auction in the elite Category A, which features 39 top players, including Kerala Ranji Trophy captain Sachin Baby and promising IPL talent Vignesh Puthur.

According to a KCA source cited in Sportstar, “The wicketkeeper batter has registered for the KCL auction, declaring his willingness to participate in the franchise league, which is expected to take place ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season.” Samson’s participation is set to elevate the league’s popularity and draw wider attention.

KCL Auction Rules and Samson’s Comeback Opportunity

Sanju Samson had a tough 2025 IPL season marred with injuries, starting with a fractured finger, then a stomach issue impacted his performance and pushed him down in the batting order. He only managed to finish the season with 285 runs in nine matches with one fifty, averaging 35.62 and a strike rate of 140.39. The KCL will serve as an important platform for him to regain form and fitness.

Sanju Samson to play the upcoming season of Kerala Cricket League

He has been included in the players list for the next KCL auction

This just confirms that he’s not moving away from KCA even after all the disrespects he faced pic.twitter.com/nEycFz05di

— Sanju Samson Fans Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) June 23, 2025

See Also: [WATCH] "Aise Yeh Zaroori Nahi Hai!": Rishabh Pant criticizes himself for reckless shot on Day 4 in ENG vs IND first Test

As per KCA auction guidelines, each team can retain up to four players—three of whom may be capped. Teams opting out of retentions will be granted a Right-To-Match (RTM) card during the auction. The player retention deadline is June 30, 5 PM IST. Each franchise will have a Rs. 50 lakh auction purse and must form squads of 16–20 players. Defending champions Aries Kollam Sailors will look to defend their crown, having defeated Calicut Globstars in last year’s final.