Kerala Cricket League auction: Sibin Girish tops bidding; franchises finalise squads for Season 3

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The player auction for the third season of the Kerala Cricket League concluded here, with Category C player Sibin Girish emerging as the most expensive acquisition after being signed by Alleppey Ripples for ₹11.80 lakh. Sibin, who started with a base price of ₹75,000, triggered an intense bidding war following his stellar performances in the previous season and the recently concluded NSK Trophy. Alongside Alleppey Ripples, franchises including Calicut Globe Stars, Thrissur Titans, and Kochi Blue Tigers competed fiercely for the player before Alleppey secured the final bid.

Hard-hitting batter Krishnadevan and cricketer Sachin Baby were among the other top earners in the auction. Calicut Globe Stars successfully retained Krishnadevan for ₹11.20 lakh after warding off fierce competition from Thrissur Titans and Kochi Blue Tigers. Meanwhile, Alleppey Ripples secured the services of Category A player Sachin Baby for ₹10 lakh, outbidding Thrissur Titans in the process.

Several other high-profile Category A players commanded significant prices during the bidding process. Trivandrum Royals acquired Vishnu Vinod for ₹7.80 lakh, while Aries Kollam Sailors signed M. Ajnas for ₹7 lakh and bowler Nidheesh MD for ₹6.60 lakh. All-rounder Abdul Bazith went to Calicut Globe Stars for ₹8 lakh, and Alleppey Ripples secured all-rounder Abhijith Praveen for ₹6 lakh. Kochi Blue Tigers signed Basil Thampi for ₹5.40 lakh, and Kollam added Anand Krishnan to their squad for ₹5.20 lakh.

In Category B, Trivandrum Royals made major moves by acquiring M. Nikhil for ₹6.20 lakh and Akshay Manohar for ₹4.80 lakh. The competitive bidding extended deep into Category C as well, where Aries Kollam Sailors secured Amal AG for ₹3.80 lakh, Thrissur Titans signed MS Akhil for ₹3.80 lakh, and Kochi Blue Tigers brought in Vipul Shakti for ₹3 lakh.

Ahead of the auction, the six franchises had collectively retained 18 players, leaving 89 slots to be filled through the bidding process. Aries Kollam Sailors and Thrissur Titans had retained four players each, while Calicut Globe Stars and Trivandrum Royals kept three players each. Kochi Blue Tigers and Alleppey Ripples had retained two players apiece before entering the auction room.

Each franchise operated under a strict salary cap of ₹50 lakh. Three franchises—Trivandrum Royals, Alleppey Ripples, and Kochi Blue Tigers—completely exhausted their entire purse. Aries Kollam Sailors spent ₹49.75 lakh, Calicut Globe Stars utilized ₹49.70 lakh, and Thrissur Titans closed their bidding at ₹49.35 lakh. In terms of final squad compositions, Kochi Blue Tigers and Thrissur Titans built maximum-strength squads of 20 players each. Aries Kollam Sailors finalized a 19-member squad, while Alleppey Ripples, Calicut Globe Stars, and Trivandrum Royals wrapped up their auction strategy with 16 players each.