Kerala cricket team

Kerala cricket team
Personnel
CaptainMohammed Azharuddeen (FC)
Rohan Kunnummal (LA)
Sanju Samson (T20)
CoachVacant
OwnerKerala Cricket Association
Team information
Colors  Dark Blue
Founded1957
Home groundGreenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Capacity55,000
History
First-class debutMadras
in 1957
at Race Course Ground, Madurai
Ranji Trophy wins0
Vijay Hazare Trophy wins0
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wins0
Official websiteKCA

FC kit

LA/T20 kit

The Kerala cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first class cricket tournament in India. It was known as Travancore-Cochin cricket team until 1957/58.[1]

Kerala has produced two Indian Test cricketers, Tinu Yohannan and S. Sreesanth.[2] Sanju Samson has represented India in T20Is and ODIs,[3] Sandeep Warrier has represented India in one T20I, while Basil Thampi has a national call-up to his name.[4] The team also lined up ex-Indian International players Sadagoppan Ramesh for two years from 2005 to 2007[5] and Robin Uthappa, from 2019 to 2022.[6] Kerala has also produced Krishna Chandran, who played at International level for United Arab Emirates.[7]

Playing history

Kerala began competing in the 1957–58 Ranji Trophy, succeeding the Travancore-Cochin cricket team after the states were reorganized.[1] It competed in the South Zone, against Madras/Tamil Nadu, Mysore/Karnataka, Andhra and Hyderabad. In 1957–58 Kerala lost all four matches, three of them by an innings.[8]

In the 1959–60 season, Kerala's Balan Pandit (262*) and George Abraham (198) put up a 410 runs partnership in the fourth wicket, which is the highest in Indian first-class cricket.[9] Pandit's score remained the highest for Kerala in FC format until the 2007–08 season.[10][11]

Kerala's best season in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was in 2012–13 season where they finished 3rd, missing out from finals after losing the last league stage match to eventual champions Gujarat.

By the end of the 2016–17 season, Kerala had played 302 first-class matches, and won 46, lost 140 and drawn 116.[12] In List A cricket Kerala had played 120 matches, with 47 wins, 71 losses and two ties.[13]

Kerala reached the pre-quarterfinal of Ranji Trophy in the 1994–95 season when they progressed as South zone winners under the captaincy of KN Ananthapadmanabhan.[14] They were qualified for the Super League after emerging as the south zone winners in 1996–97 under leadership of Feroze V Rasheed. Kerala reached plate final in 2002–03 and semifinal in 2007–08.[15]

In November 2017, they progressed to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time, when they finished second in Group B of the 2017–18 tournament.[16][17] The following season, they progressed to the semifinals for the first time after beating former champions Gujarat in the last eight.[18][19]

Kerala reached its first Ranji Trophy final in the 2024–25 season, doing so in dramatic fashion after first innings victories in the quarterfinal and semifinal by one run and two runs respectively.[20]

Honours

Year Final Result Captain Most Runs Most Wickets
Ranji Trophy
2024–25 Runners-up Sachin Baby Mohammed Azharuddeen (635) Jalaj Saxena (40)

Governing body

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is the governing body for the Kerala cricket team. It was founded on 1951 and is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Kerala State Sports Authority (KSSA). It is the parent body of the 14 district associations in Kerala.[21]

Current squad

Players with International caps are listed in bold.

Name Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batsmen
Rohan Kunnummal10 May 1998Right-handedRight-arm mediumList A Captain
Salman Nizar30 June 1997Left-handedRight-arm off break
Ahammad Imran22 May 2006Left-handedRight-arm off break
Sachin Baby18 December 1988Left-handedRight-arm off-break
Abhishek Nair6 June 2004Right-handedRight-arm off-break
Krishna Prasad1 July 1999Right-handedRight-arm off break
All-rounders
Baba Aparajith8 July 1994Right-handedRight-arm off break
Akshay Chandran19 October 1993Left-handedSlow left-arm orthodox
Akhil Scaria5 October 1998Left-handedRight-arm medium
Abdul Basith9 October 1998Right-handedRight-arm off break
Wicket-keepers
Mohammed Azharuddeen22 March 1994Right-handedFirst-class Captain
Vishnu Vinod15 February 1993Right-handedPlays for Punjab Kings in IPL
Sanju Samson11 November 1994Right-handedTwenty20 Captain
Plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL
Spin-bowlers
Ankit Sharma20 April 1991Left-handedSlow left-arm orthodox
Vignesh Puthur2 March 2001Right-handedSlow left-arm unorthodoxPlays for Rajasthan Royals in IPL
Sreehari Nair24 May 1998Right-handedSlow left-arm orthodox
Pace bowlers
MD Nidheesh5 May 1991Right-handedRight-arm medium
Eden Apple Tom2 July 2005Right-handedRight-arm medium
Sharafuddeen14 February 1995Right-handedRight-arm medium
Nedumankuzhy Basil20 October 1996Right-handedRight-arm medium
KM Asif24 July 1993Right-handedRight-arm medium

Updated as on 1 February 2026

Support staff

Position Name
Team ManagerNazir Machan
Head coachAmay Khurasiya
Assistant coachRajeesh Retnakumar
Strength and conditioning CoachVysakh Krishna
PhysiotherapistUnnikrishnan RS
Performance AnalystSrivathsan P B
Throw down SpecialistGireesh E K
Team MasseurJose N

Stadiums

International stadiums

Greenfield International Stadium on an international match-day in 2017

Active stadium

Sl. No Name City Capacity No. of matches First match Last match Ref.
TestODIsT20Is
1 Greenfield International Stadium Thiruvananthapuram 55,000 0 1 2 7 November 2017 8 December 2019 [22]

Former stadiums

Sl. No Name City Capacity No. of matches First match Last match Ref.
TestODIsT20Is
1 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Kochi 80,000 0 9 0 1 April 1998 8 October 2014 [23]
2 University Stadium Thiruvananthapuram 20,000 0 2 0 1 October 1984 25 January 1988 [24]

Other stadiums

Sl. No Name City Capacity Ref.
1Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore GroundErnakulam5000[25]
2Conor Vayal StadiumKannurN/a[26]
3Military MaidanKannurN/a[27]
4Police GroundKannur2000[28]
5Cochin Refineries Ltd GroundKochi3000[29]
6Fort Cochin Parade MaidanKochi3000[30]
7Maharaja College StadiumKochi15,000[31]
8Premier Tyres OvalKochi10,000[32]
9St Paul's College GroundKochiN/a[33]
10Nehru StadiumKottayam18,000[34]
11Kozhikode Corporation EMS StadiumKozhikode15,000[35]
12Manachira MaidanKozhikode1000[36]
13Calicut Medical College StadiumKozhikode10,000[37]
14Medical College GroundKozhikode5000[38]
15Regional Engineering College GroundKozhikode3000[39]
16Malabar State Police GroundMalappuram1000[40]
17Perintalmanna Cricket StadiumMalappuramN/a[41]
18Fort MaidanPalakkad10,000[42]
19The Government Victoria College GroundPalakkad2000[43]
20Municipal StadiumThalassery7500[44]
21KCA Cricket GroundThiruvananthapuramN/a[45]
22Lakshmibhai National College of Physical Education GroundThiruvananthapuram10,000[46]
23Medical College GroundThiruvananthapuram2000[47]
24St. Xavier's College Ground, ThumbaThiruvananthapuramN/a[48]
25Vellyani Agricultural College GroundThiruvananthapuram10,000[49]
26University StadiumThiruvananthapuram10,000[50]
27Municipal StadiumThrissur1500[51]
28Krishnagiri StadiumWayanadN/a[52]
29Lal Bahadur Shastri StadiumKollam30,000[53]
30Sree Narayana College GroundKollam3000[54]
31Sanatana Dharma College GroundAlappuzhaN/a[55]
32Thiruvalla Municipal StadiumPathanamthittaN/a[56]
33Central StadiumThiruvananthapuramN/a

Famous players

S. Sreesanth has played both for Kerala in state level and for India in international matches.
Players who have represented India
Player Formats Debut
Tinu Yohannan Test 2001
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth Test/ODI/T20I 2006
Sanju Samson ODI/T20I 2015
Sandeep Warrier T20I 2021
Sujith Somasunder ODI 1996
Sadagoppan Ramesh Test 1999
Robin Uthappa ODI/T20I 2006

Players from Kerala who have played international cricket for another country, along with year of debut:


Prominent cricketers at the domestic level:

References

  1. 1 2 Bose 1990, pp. 388.
  2. ↑ Praveen, M. P. (23 April 2013). "The man who set the pace for budding cricketers in Kochi". The Hindu. Kochi. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Sadhu, Rahul (30 July 2021). "India tour of Sri Lanka: Sanju Samson flatters to deceive, T20 World Cup chances hang by a thread". Indian Express. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Washington Sundar, Thampi, Hooda in India's T20 squad". ESPNcricinfo. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Ramesh impresses with ton". ESPNcricinfo. 26 December 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Ranji Trophy: Robin Uthappa set to play for Kerala". Sport Star. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Karate Krishna Chandran: The First Keralite in UAE team". Kerala Cricket Association. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Wisden 1959, pp. 856–57.
  9. ↑ Ramaswami 1976, pp. 71.
  10. ↑ Wisden 2014, pp. 74.
  11. ↑ "Most Runs in an Innings for Kerala". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Kerala's first-class playing record". CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Kerala's List A playing record". CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "In a first, Kerala cricket team makes it to quarter-finals of Ranji Trophy". The News Minute. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Rajan, Adwaidh (29 November 2017). "Ranji Trophy: Yesteryear stars feel Kerala cricket team can go even further in the contest". The New Indian Express. Kochi. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Kerala cricket team creates history! Enters Ranji Trophy quarterfinals in style". Financial Express. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  17. ↑ "Kerala Ranji Trophy team qualifies for the quarterfinals". The New Indian Express. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "Ranji Trophy 2018–19, Kerala vs Gujarat". BCCI. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ranji Trophy 2018–19: First time semi-finalist Kerala look to turn tables on defending champion Vidharba". First Post. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Kerala steal two-run lead on dramatic final morning to reach maiden Ranji final". ESPN Cricinfo. 21 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  21. ↑ "Kerala Cricket Association". Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  22. ↑ "Greenfield International Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  23. ↑ "Nehru Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  24. ↑ "University Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  25. ↑ "Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  26. ↑ "Conor Vayal Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "Military Maidan". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  28. ↑ "Police Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  29. ↑ "Cochin Refineries Ltd Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "Fort Cochin Parade Maidan". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  31. ↑ "Maharaja College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  32. ↑ "Primier[sic] Tyres Oval". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  33. ↑ "St Paul's College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  34. ↑ "Nehru Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  35. ↑ "Corporation Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  36. ↑ "Manachira Maidan". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  37. ↑ "Medical College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  38. ↑ "Medical College (2) Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  39. ↑ "Regional Engineering College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  40. ↑ "Malabar State Police Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  41. ↑ "Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  42. ↑ "Fort Maidan". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  43. ↑ "The Government Victoria College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  44. ↑ "Municipal Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  45. ↑ "KCA Cricket Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  46. ↑ "Lakshmibhai National College of Physical Education Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  47. ↑ "Medical College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  48. ↑ "St. Xavier's College Ground, Thumba". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  49. ↑ "Vellyani Agricultural College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  50. ↑ "University Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  51. ↑ "Municipal Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  52. ↑ "Krishnagiri Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  53. ↑ "Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  54. ↑ "Sree Narayana College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  55. ↑ "Alappuzha gets a new cricket ground". The Hindu. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  56. ↑ "തിരുവല്ല സ്റ്റേഡിയത്തിൽ ക്രിക്കറ്റ് പൂരമൊരുക്കാൻ കെസിഎ". Manorama Online (in Malayalam). Retrieved 15 July 2022.

Bibliography

  • Ramaswami, N.S. (1976). Indian Cricket: A Complete History. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170170440.
  • Wisden (2014). The Shorter Wisden India Almanack 2014. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472917188.
  • Bose, Mihir (1990). A History of Indian Cricket. Rupa & Company. ISBN 9780233985633.
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