Sibin Gireesh becomes KCL-3's costliest buy, but Sanju Samson's record still untouched

Alappuzha Ripples made the biggest splash in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) Season 3 auction by securing Sibin Gireesh for a record bid of ₹11.80 lakh, making him the costliest buy of the season so far.

The 27-year-old all-rounder, who had represented Thrissur Titans in the second edition of the KCL, entered the auction with a base price of ₹75,000. Alappuzha secured his services for a fee nearly 16 times his base value.

The Alappuzha franchise had already made headlines earlier in the auction by signing star batter Sachin Baby for ₹10 lakh, but their purse was stretched further with the acquisition of Sibin.

However, Sibin's price remains well below the KCL auction record held by Sanju Samson. The Kochi Blue Tigers had spent a whopping ₹26.8 lakh to sign Samson during the KCL Season 2 auction.

Meanwhile, Calicut Globstars retained Krishna Devan for ₹11.20 lakh, making him the second-most expensive player in the KCL 3 auction. Like Sibin, Krishna had a base price of ₹75,000.