Kerala Cricket League 2026 Teams: Squads, Captains & Auction Guide

The Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2026 features six teams: Kochi Blue Tigers, Aries Kollam Sailors, Calicut Globstars, Adani Trivandrum Royals, Finesse Thrissur Titans and Alleppey Ripples.

Season 3 runs from August 20 to September 5, 2026 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Defending champions Kochi Blue Tigers retained captain Saly Samson, while Alleppey Ripples splashed out at the July 11 auction to land Sibin Gireesh and Sachin Baby.

Here’s the complete squad list, captain and ownership breakdown for every KCL 2026 team, so you don’t need to hunt across five different sites for it.

KCL 2026 Auction and Squad Rules

The KCL 2026 auction took place on July 11 in Thiruvananthapuram. A total of 173 players registered for the season, and the six franchises retained 17 of them before the auction, leaving 156 players in the pool for bidding.

Of those 156, 89 players found a buyer, while the rest went unsold. Each franchise worked with a fixed purse and had to build a squad within a set size range, as the table below shows.

The biggest storyline of the auction wasn’t a franchise strategy. It was Sanju Samson’s absence. The India wicketkeeper-batter, who became the KCL’s record buy at Rs 26.8 lakh last season, was released by Kochi Blue Tigers and opted out of Season 3 citing personal reasons. He’s since been named the tournament’s official icon instead of a player.

The Six KCL 2026 Teams at a Glance

Only three franchises have confirmed a captain so far. Kollam Sailors, Calicut Globstars and Thrissur Titans are expected to name theirs at the team launch event around August 20.

Kerala Cricket League 2026 Team-by-Team Squads

Here’s a closer look at each of the six KCL 2026 teams, including the full squad, retentions and the auction buys that shaped each roster.

1. Kochi Blue Tigers (KBT)

Saly Samson keeps the captaincy after leading Kochi to the Season 2 title, and fast bowler Basil Thampi steps up as vice-captain. Thampi actually captained Kochi in the inaugural season before moving to Trivandrum Royals last year, so this is something of a homecoming.

Kochi’s approach at the auction was simple. Buy back the players who won the title. Vinoop Manoharan, who smashed 70 off 30 balls in last season’s final, and Jerin PS, who took 3/21 in that same game, both return alongside Basil Thampi’s pace.

The one obvious gap is Sanju Samson. His record Rs 26.8 lakh price tag isn’t walking through the door this year, so the batting load shifts more heavily onto Saly Samson and the rest of the retained core.

2. Aries Kollam Sailors (AKS)

Kollam Sailors have reached the final in both KCL seasons so far. They won the inaugural title in 2024, when captain Sachin Baby smashed an unbeaten 105 to chase down 214, then lost the 2025 final to Kochi.

Sachin Baby has since moved on to captain Alleppey Ripples, so Kollam head into Season 3 without a confirmed leader. NM Sharafuddeen and Abhishek J Nair, both retained at Category A prices, anchor a squad that spent big on bowling with the Rs 6.60 lakh signing of seamer MD Nidheesh.

3. Calicut Globstars (CG)

Calicut protected three established names before the auction, Salman Nizar, Rohan Kunnummal and Akhil Scaria, then paid the auction’s second-highest price to bring in Krishna Devan for Rs 11.20 lakh.

The real bargain, though, is Vignesh Puthur at just Rs 1.50 lakh. The left-arm wrist-spinner made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2025, and getting him back in Kerala colours for that price could be the steal of the entire auction.

4. Adani Trivandrum Royals (ATR)

Krishna Prasad continues as captain after topping the Season 2 run charts, and all-rounder Sijomon Joseph is his vice-captain. The Royals retained Prasad at Rs 7.50 lakh, then paid Rs 7.80 lakh for wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod, the auction’s fourth-highest price.

Trivandrum also used the Right to Match card to keep hold of Nikhil M for Rs 6.40 lakh. Off the field, the franchise carries serious star power too, with actor Keerthy Suresh and filmmaker Priyadarshan as co-owners.

5. Finesse Thrissur Titans (FTT)

Thrissur matched Kollam with four retentions, headlined by Ahammed Imran, Season 2’s second-highest run-getter. They then built a league-high 20-man squad, spreading the purse across more signings than any other franchise.

That depth-first approach makes sense after Thrissur were bowled out for 86 in last season’s semi-final against Kollam. A captain hasn’t been confirmed yet, but a 20-player roster at least gives the Titans real competition for places once the fixtures begin.

6. Alleppey Ripples (ALR)

No franchise reshaped itself more aggressively than Alleppey. They retained just Mohammed Azharuddeen and then landed the auction’s two most expensive players: Sibin Gireesh for a record Rs 11.80 lakh and Sachin Baby for Rs 10 lakh, who now captains the side.

Sibin Gireesh’s rise is the best story of the auction. He entered at a Category C base price of Rs 75,000 after representing Thrissur Titans last season, then went for nearly 16 times that figure after a strong run in the NSK Trophy. Add wicketkeeper Azharuddeen and veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, and Alleppey suddenly look like genuine contenders after missing the playoffs in Season 2.

KCL 2026 Franchise Ownership

Every KCL franchise is privately owned and carries a title partner in its official name, from Aries and Adani to Finesse. The whole league itself runs under the Federal Bank Kerala Cricket League banner, with Federal Bank as the overall title sponsor.

Tournament Format and Key Dates

Season 3 runs for 17 days, and the format follows the pattern set in the last two editions.

• Six teams play a double round-robin league stage, meaning every side faces the other five twice.
• The top four teams on the points table advance to the playoffs.
• Semi-final 1 pits 1st place against 4th, and semi-final 2 pits 2nd against 3rd.
• Calicut Globstars face Thrissur Titans in the tournament opener at 2:30 pm on August 20.
• Defending champions Kochi Blue Tigers open their campaign against Aries Kollam Sailors at 7:30 pm the same day.
• The final takes place on September 5, 2026, at the Greenfield International Stadium.

Players to Watch in KCL 2026

A few names stand out beyond the captains and the big-ticket buys.

• Sibin Gireesh (Alleppey Ripples): went from a Rs 75,000 base price to the league’s costliest player at Rs 11.80 lakh. The pressure of that price tag lands squarely on him this season.
• Vignesh Puthur (Calicut Globstars): an IPL-capped wrist-spinner picked up for just Rs 1.50 lakh, arguably the bargain of the auction.
• Sachin Baby (Alleppey Ripples): Kerala’s all-time highest run-scorer across formats, now captaining his third different KCL franchise in three seasons.
• Krishna Devan (Calicut Globstars): the auction’s second-costliest buy at Rs 11.20 lakh, and someone Calicut will lean on heavily in the middle order.

Final Word: 6 Teams Ready for KCL 2026 which Starts from August 20

The Kerala Cricket League 2026 teams are set, and the storylines write themselves. Kochi are defending a title without their biggest name, Alleppey spent big to chase their first one, and three captaincies are still up in the air.

With the auction done and squads locked in, all six sides now turn to August 20, when the race for the trophy actually begins at Greenfield.