Sanju Samson among 13 players sanctioned by Kerala Cricket Association

Sanju Samson among 13 players sanctioned by Kerala Cricket Association

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Sanju Samson has been included in the 13-player list who will face sanctions form the KCA in the coming months for going against state captain Sachin Baby. Five of the players have been suspended for three games, while eight have been fined a sum similar to BCCI match fees for three 50-over games.

23-year old Sanju Samson, who made his debut for India in the T20I game against Zimbabwe in 2015, has come under scrutiny for his actions in as part of Kerala cricket team in the past few months. Samson, along with 12 other players have been issued sanctions for their actions against the captain Sachin Baby during a recent visit by a Kerala side to Sri Lanka in June.

While five of the players have been suspended for three matches, the other eight have been fined the equivalent of BCCI match fees for three one-day matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The five players who won’t be part of the first three games of the Hazare Trophy are Raiphi Gomez, Sandeep Warrier, Rohan Prem, KM Asif, and Mohammed Azharuddeen. The eight who have only earned fines are Abhishek Mohan, KC Akshay, Fabid Ahmed, MD Nidheesh, Salman Nizar, Sijomon Joseph, VA Jagadeesh and RR batsman - Samson. The fees collected by all the players will go to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief fund, and the players have to pay the amount by September 15 and send in proof for the same to KCA authorities.

The 13 players have penned a letter which stated that they were unhappy with Baby's leadership. However, the players chose not to discuss the issue with Baby or the manager on tour, and instead went directly to the KCA, which proved to be their downfall in the long run. Following this entire fiasco, the KCA conducted an internal inquiry of the matter and came to the conclusion that "the players were involved in endangering the harmony, stability and interest of the Association and also engaged in the signature campaign against the captain. There was a deliberate intention to defame the captain as well as KCA."

ESPN Cricinfo reports indicated that dissatisfaction with Baby's leadership had been ongoing for several seasons now, although KCA officials hit back against the protests as they questioned the timing of the player's rebellion, as they added that no players had raised any protest last year when Kerala made the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 quarterfinals.

In addition to the previous sanctions, the KCA issued show-cause notices to Samson, Akshay, Nizar and Azharuddeen for "unauthorised absence" from the team hotel during the Capt K Thimmappiah Memorial tournament which was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association earlier this year.

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