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Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2026 ended with Thrissur Titans winning the title after beating Calicut Globstars in the final. An awkward moment during the trophy presentation caught attention. Sanju Samson was standing on the stage along with dignitaries ahead of the prize distribution ceremony.

That’s when former India pacer S Sreesanth walked up to the stage and seemingly ignored Samson and went on to greet others. It was a surprising sight, considering both have been teammates for Kerala and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Sreesanth was seen interacting with each member barring the current India wicketkeeper-batter. The 31-year-old Samson made his first-class debut for Kerala in late 2011, with Sreesanth being a part of the side as a senior member. In 2013, the two shared the dressing room for RR, where Sanju scored 206 runs from 13 matches.

Speaking about the final, Calicut batted first and scored 167 for the loss of nine wickets. Akhil Scaria top-scored with 45 while Aswin Anand amassed 40. Abdul Ramees was the leading wicket-taker with three scalps.

Thrissur overhauled the target in the final over with three balls left. Ahammed Imran led the batting charge with a 49-ball 69, and MS Akhil’s 19 not out off 11 balls also played a key role in the title win.

Samson, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup, didn’t play the season due to personal commitments. Chennai Super Kings opener will be seen representing India in the upcoming series against Afghanistan and the Asian Games 2026.

How has Sanju Samson performed in 2026?

Kerala-born star has had a mixed-bag year with the bat. In 2026, the cricketer has played 14 games and scored 400 runs at a strike rate of 181, out of which 321 came in the global tournament.

Sanju played four games during the tours of Ireland and England, scoring just 33 runs at an average of 8.25. He was benched ahead of the second T20I against England in Manchester, giving Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance to make his debut. Team management recalled the batter for the final T20I match, where he scored 27 runs, before being rested for the tour of Zimbabwe.