Kerala cricket team
Indian cricket team
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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]
Rohan Kunnummal (LA)
Sanju Samson (T20)
| |||
| Personnel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Mohammed Azharuddeen (FC) Rohan Kunnummal (LA) Sanju Samson (T20) | ||
| Coach | Amay Khurasiya | ||
| Owner | Kerala Cricket Association | ||
| Team information | |||
| Colors | Dark Blue | ||
| Founded | 1957 | ||
| Home ground | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | ||
| Capacity | 55,000 | ||
| History | |||
| First-class debut | Madras in 1957 at Race Course Ground, Madurai | ||
| Ranji Trophy wins | 0 | ||
| Vijay Hazare Trophy wins | 0 | ||
| Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wins | 0 | ||
| Official website | KCA | ||
| |||
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 Kunnummal | 10 May 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | List A Captain | |
| Salman Nizar | 30 June 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
| Ahammad Imran | 22 May 2006 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
| Sachin Baby | 18 December 1988 | Left-handed | Right-arm off-break | ||
| Abhishek Nair | 6 June 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | ||
| Krishna Prasad | 1 July 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
| All-rounders | |||||
| Baba Aparajith | 8 July 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
| Akshay Chandran | 19 October 1993 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||
| Akhil Scaria | 5 October 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
| Abdul Basith | 9 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| Mohammed Azharuddeen | 22 March 1994 | Right-handed | First-class Captain | ||
| Vishnu Vinod | 15 February 1993 | Right-handed | Plays for Punjab Kings in IPL | ||
| Sanju Samson | 11 November 1994 | Right-handed | Twenty20 Captain Plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL | ||
| Spin-bowlers | |||||
| Ankit Sharma | 20 April 1991 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||
| Vignesh Puthur | 2 March 2001 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm unorthodox | Plays for Rajasthan Royals in IPL | |
| Sreehari Nair | 24 May 1998 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||
| Pace bowlers | |||||
| MD Nidheesh | 5 May 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
| Eden Apple Tom | 2 July 2005 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
| Sharafuddeen | 14 February 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
| Nedumankuzhy Basil | 20 October 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
| KM Asif | 24 July 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
Updated as on 1 February 2026
Support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team Manager | Nazir Machan |
| Head coach | Amay Khurasiya |
| Assistant coach | Rajeesh Retnakumar |
| Strength and conditioning Coach | Vysakh Krishna |
| Physiotherapist | Unnikrishnan RS |
| Performance Analyst | Srivathsan P B |
| Throw down Specialist | Gireesh E K |
| Team Masseur | Jose N |
Stadiums
International stadiums
Active stadium
| Sl. No | Name | City | Capacity | No. of matches | First match | Last match | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | ODIs | T20Is | |||||||
| 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. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | ODIs | T20Is | |||||||
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ground | Ernakulam | 5000 | [25] |
| 2 | Conor Vayal Stadium | Kannur | N/a | [26] |
| 3 | Military Maidan | Kannur | N/a | [27] |
| 4 | Police Ground | Kannur | 2000 | [28] |
| 5 | Cochin Refineries Ltd Ground | Kochi | 3000 | [29] |
| 6 | Fort Cochin Parade Maidan | Kochi | 3000 | [30] |
| 7 | Maharaja College Stadium | Kochi | 15,000 | [31] |
| 8 | Premier Tyres Oval | Kochi | 10,000 | [32] |
| 9 | St Paul's College Ground | Kochi | N/a | [33] |
| 10 | Nehru Stadium | Kottayam | 18,000 | [34] |
| 11 | Kozhikode Corporation EMS Stadium | Kozhikode | 15,000 | [35] |
| 12 | Manachira Maidan | Kozhikode | 1000 | [36] |
| 13 | Calicut Medical College Stadium | Kozhikode | 10,000 | [37] |
| 14 | Medical College Ground | Kozhikode | 5000 | [38] |
| 15 | Regional Engineering College Ground | Kozhikode | 3000 | [39] |
| 16 | Malabar State Police Ground | Malappuram | 1000 | [40] |
| 17 | Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium | Malappuram | N/a | [41] |
| 18 | Fort Maidan | Palakkad | 10,000 | [42] |
| 19 | The Government Victoria College Ground | Palakkad | 2000 | [43] |
| 20 | Municipal Stadium | Thalassery | 7500 | [44] |
| 21 | KCA Cricket Ground | Thiruvananthapuram | N/a | [45] |
| 22 | Lakshmibhai National College of Physical Education Ground | Thiruvananthapuram | 10,000 | [46] |
| 23 | Medical College Ground | Thiruvananthapuram | 2000 | [47] |
| 24 | St. Xavier's College Ground, Thumba | Thiruvananthapuram | N/a | [48] |
| 25 | Vellyani Agricultural College Ground | Thiruvananthapuram | 10,000 | [49] |
| 26 | University Stadium | Thiruvananthapuram | 10,000 | [50] |
| 27 | Municipal Stadium | Thrissur | 1500 | [51] |
| 28 | Krishnagiri Stadium | Wayanad | N/a | [52] |
| 29 | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium | Kollam | 30,000 | [53] |
| 30 | Sree Narayana College Ground | Kollam | 3000 | [54] |
| 31 | Sanatana Dharma College Ground | Alappuzha | N/a | [55] |
| 32 | Thiruvalla Municipal Stadium | Pathanamthitta | N/a | [56] |
| 33 | Central Stadium | Thiruvananthapuram | N/a |
Famous players
| 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:
- Krishna Chandran (2014) - United Arab Emirates
- Arun Poulose (2017) - Oman
- Mohammad Sanuth (2020) - Oman
Prominent cricketers at the domestic level:
- Ajay Varma
- Ajay Kudua
- Antony Sebastian
- B. Ramprakash
- Balan Pandit
- Basil Thampi
- Feroze V Rasheed
- Kelappan Thampuran
- K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan
- K Jayaraman
- Padmanabhan Prasanth
- Prasanth Parameswaran
- Raiphi Gomez
- Rohan Prem
- Sachin Baby
- Sony Cheruvathur
- Sreekumar Nair
- Sunil Oasis
- Thomas Mathew
- VA Jagadeesh