Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 28 (ANI): Indian opener Sanju Samson continued his red-hot run in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL) in Thiruvananthapuram, smashing yet another quickfire half-century for Kochi Blue Tigers on Thursday.

In his fourth appearance in the competition against Trivandrum Royals, Samson once again opened the batting, smashing a 37-ball 62, consisting of four boundaries and five sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 167.57.

This, along with V Manoharan (42 in 26 balls, with nine fours) and Nikhil Thottath (45 in 35 balls, with five fours and a six) powered KBT to 191/5 in their 20 overs. Abhijith Praveen V (3/26) was the pick of the bowlers for Trivandrum. Trivandrum fell short, scoring 182/6, with Sanjeev Satheresan top scoring with 70 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and five fifties.

During the match against Thrissur Titans two days back, Sanju smashed a brilliant 89 in just 46 balls, with four boundaries and nine sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of above 193.

After failing in the middle-order with a 22-ball 13 in his first appearance, made a majestic return to form against Aries Kollam Sailors, scoring a fiery 121 in 51 balls, with 14 fours and seven sixes, helping his side chase down a massive 237 set by the opponents, who had made 236/5 on the back of a fantastic 94 in 41 balls, with three fours and 10 sixes by wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod and captain Sachin Baby's explosive 91 in just 44 balls, with six fours and six sixes.

Sanju is now one of the most prolific performers in the league, with 285 runs in four matches and innings at an average of 71.25, including a century and two half-centuries. His strike rate is 182.

Such consistent good performances are a good sign for Samson and his fans, whose spot in the playing eleven faces some tough competition after the return of top-order batter Shubman Gill as a vice-captain following a 754-run Test series against England and the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma as a back-up keeper-batter following a dream season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) title win, scoring 261 runs in 11 innings at an average of 37.28, with a strike rate of 176.25 and a half-century. His best score was 85* against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Gill, who was the captain for the T20I tour to Zimbabwe just after the T20 WC, was leading a side which featured mostly newer players. He will now play his first T20I competition since July 2024 as a vice-captain. His return to a leadership spot guarantees him all the matches, with Abhishek Sharma serving as his opening partner.

In his 42 T20I match career for India, Samson has scored 861 runs in 38 innings at an average of 25.38, with three centuries and two fifties. Since last year, he has found a new lease of life as an opener, scoring three centuries in five innings across series against Bangladesh and South Africa. Last year, he was India's best T20I batter with 436 runs in 12 innings at an average of 43.60, with a strike rate of 180.16, including three centuries and a fifty. He formed a fine partnership with Abhishek at the top.

India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi, and the remaining two will be held in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28. (ANI)