The Rajasthan Royals captain, Sanju Samson, became the highest-ever-paid cricketer in Kerala Cricket League (KCL) history after Kochi Blue Tigers bought him for Rs 26.80 lakh in the Season 2 player auction. Notably, the auction was held on Saturday, July 5, in Thiruvananthapuram. The bid war started with his base price of INR 5 lakh. However, the Kochi Blue Tigers had a tight bidding war with the Thrissur Titans as the price steeply rose to 20 lakhs. Ultimately, Kochi had their last laugh, but by almost breaking their piggy bank. Kochi went too far, paying more than 50% of their purse to get the big name Sanju Samson on the team. The team came with INR 50 lakh as their initial price. Giving away INR 26.80 left them with just 23.2 lakh, making it tough to form the rest of the team. He was on every teams' wishlist, and bids flew like sixes 📢₹26.8L later, the Blue Tigers roared loudest. Sanju Samson is now Kochi’s crown jewel! 🐯💙#KCL2025 #KCLSeason2 pic.twitter.com/37Z5t3Hxpd — Kerala Cricket League (@KCL_t20) July 5, 2025 Kerala's Superstar @IamSanjuSamson will play for Kochi Blue Tigers in KCL 2025. He was sold for 26.80L in the Auction. pic.twitter.com/hnnbHFswvD — CricketGully (@thecricketgully) July 5, 2025 Read also: Sam Konstas Falls Again as Australia Lead by 45 on Day 2 Samson Headlines Record KCL Auction Sanju Samson is set to headline the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025 after making himself available for the tournament, following a relatively light international schedule. The 29-year-old, who served only as the league’s ambassador last season, is expected to draw massive attention this time, both on and off the field. The bidding frenzy kicked off with Basil Thampi being picked up by Trivandrum Royals for ₹8.4 lakh, but all eyes soon turned to Kochi’s aggressive move—shattering records to grab the league’s most prominent name. Their bid comfortably surpassed the previous high of ₹7.4 lakh spent on M. Sajeevan Akhil. After a lacklustre IPL 2025, where Samson managed only 285 runs from 9 innings, KCL offers a timely opportunity to get back in rhythm before India’s selection season resumes. With the tournament running from August 21 to September 6, and uncertainty looming over the India-Bangladesh series, Samson might be available throughout—amplifying both buzz and ticket sales.