The Kerala Cricket League (KCL) Season 3 player auction is all set to take centre stage on Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram, with all six franchises confirming their list of retained players ahead of the much-anticipated bidding event.
Each franchise will begin the auction with a purse of ₹50 lakh, with the cost of retained players deducted from the overall budget before the auction gets underway. A total of 156 players will be available for selection as teams aim to assemble squads of 16 to 20 members.
Alleppey Ripples head into the auction in the strongest financial position, retaining only one player and entering the event with the highest remaining purse of ₹42.5 lakh. They also have the biggest rebuilding task, needing to sign at least 15 more
players to complete their squad.
Kochi Blue Tigers also enjoy significant spending power after retaining just two players. They have ₹41 lakh available and need to add at least 14 players. Trivandrum Royals retained three players and will enter the auction with ₹39.5 lakh, while Thrissur Titans and reigning champions Aries Kollam Sailors each retained four players, leaving them with ₹34.5 lakh to spend.
Calicut Globstars have the smallest purse among the six franchises, with ₹33.75 lakh remaining after retaining three key players. Despite that, they still have room to strengthen their squad with at least 13 new signings.
Several established names, including Sachin Baby, Vishnu Vinod, Basil Thampi and MD Nidheesh, will be among the headline attractions in the auction. Franchises are expected to combine experienced campaigners with promising local talent as they shape their squads for the third edition of Kerala's premier franchise T20 league.
Meanwhile, India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will not feature in KCL Season 3. The Kochi Blue Tigers opted not to retain their marquee player from last season, and with Samson unavailable due to prior commitments, his name is also absent from the auction pool.
