Forgotten Kerala cricket star Sachin Baby gets ₹10 lakh in KCL-3 auction

Sachin Baby was a forgotten star of Kerala's T20 campaign last season. But now, he is back in the reckoning, and in style, becoming the third costliest player of the auction ahead of the third season of Kerala Cricket League (KCL-3).

Alleppey Ripples splashed ₹10 lakh on the former Kerala skipper in the opening round of the auction in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Sachin captained Kollam Sailors in the first two seasons, famously powering them to the title in the inaugural edition.

Last season, Sachin was dropped from the state's Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 campaign for the first time in 12 years. The 37-year-old left-hander is Kerala's all-time highest run-getter with over 10,000 runs.

Though ₹10 lakh is a significant amount, accounting for 20% of the total purse available to the franchises, it is well below KCL's record of ₹26.8 lakh spent by Kochi Blue Tigers on IPL hero Sanju Samson at the KCL-2 auction.

Experienced all-rounder Abdul Basith was the second-most costly player in the KCL-3 auction, with Calicut Globstars using up ₹8 lakh to sign him up. Wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod will play for Trivandrum Royals, following a ₹7.80 lakh bid.

The Sailors spent ₹6.60 lakh on veteran pacer M D Nidheesh, while Kochi Blue Tigers roped in IPL sensation Basil Thampi for ₹5.40 lakh. The Ripples got Abhijith Paveen for ₹6 lakh, while the Royals will have the expertise of former Chennai Super Kings pacer K M Asif after spending ₹4.80 lakh. The Royals spent the same amount on Akshay Manohar and ₹4.40 lakh on Sijomon Joseph.

Sanju, who powered the Blue Tigers to their maiden title last season, will not be part of KCL-3, which is set to begin on August 20. The KCL is the official men's T20 league of the Kerala Cricket Association featuring six franchises.