Sanju Samson’s explosive KCL form, with a century and two fifties, puts him in contention for an Asia Cup 2025 opening spot, raising the dilemma of whether he’ll partner Abhishek Sharma or if Shubman Gill reclaims his top-order role.
India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is leaving no stone unturned to cement his spot as an opener in the playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025, as he is in red-hot form in the ongoing edition of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL), representing Kochi Blue Tigers. Samson is playing his debut season for the KCL T20 League and has already made a significant impact with his explosive batting.
Sanju Samson was added to the 15-member India squad as a first-choice wicketkeeper for the upcoming Asia Cup, which was announced by the BCCI men’s senior team chief selector Ajit Agarkar at a press conference at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on August 19. The 30-year-old cemented his T20I side for the eight-team continental tournament after his consistent performances in the last series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England.
Following his selection for the Asia Cup, Samson has been boosted with confidence, which is on display in the ongoing edition of the Kerala Cricket League as he continues to play a fearless and attacking brand of cricket for Kochi Blue Tigers.
Samson’s red-form grabs spotlight ahead of the Asia Cup
Since there is no international T20I fixture ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, Sanju Samson utilized the opportunity to fine-tune his game and prepare himself for the continental tournament by delivering explosive performances and taking his KCL form into the spotlight.
Samson has not only been justifying his selection by unleashing his firepower at the top, but also grabbing the headlines with his match-winning innings for Kochi Blue Tigers, keeping the fans, selectors, and team management excited ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. In the KCL match against Aries Kollam Sailors, the wicketkeeper-batter played a scintillating knock of 121 off 51 balls, including 14 fours and 7 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 237.25, to help Kochi chase down the 237-run target.
In the following match against Thrissur Titans, Samson played an incredible innings of 89 off 46 balls, but it went in vain as Kochi Blue Tigers lost the match by five wickets after Thrissur chased down the 189-run target. The 30-year-old carried on his extraordinary form into the match against Adani Trivandrum Royals, scoring 62 off 37 balls, laying a foundation for a 9-run victory for Kochi.
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Sanju Samson’s blistering form has had a big impact on Kochi Blue Tigers as they are currently topping the points table, with four wins and two losses, while accumulating 8 points and have a net run rate of +0.778 in six matches.
Samson is currently the second leading run-scorer in the KCL 2025, amassing 285 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 71.25 and an impressive strike rate of 182.69 in five matches.
Sanju Samson vs Shubman Gill conundrum
Sanju Samson registered a century and two fifties as an opener in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025, leaving team management with a tantalizing dilemma whether to back the Kerala cricketer or slot Shubman Gill to the top order for the Asia Cup 2025. When Yashavi Jasiwal and Gill were away from the T20Is to focus on red-ball cricket, Samson opened the batting with Abhishek Sharma.
In the last three T20I series, Samson has amassed 417 runs, including three centuries, at an average of 37.90 in 12 matches. The wicketkeeper-batter shared 267 runs in partnership with Abhishek Sharma at the top. Now, with the return of Shubman Gill to the T20I fold as a vice-captain, the team India management faces a tricky decision of whether to retain Samson as the opener alongside Abhishek or revert Gill to his preferred opening slot.
Shubman Gill has been a top-order batter in white-ball cricket over the last few years, known for his consistency and ability to anchor the innings, making the management’s task of balancing form, experience, and team combination ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 particularly challenging.
Has Samson cemented his place as an opener?
Sanju Samson’s blistering form in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League 2025 has left team management with a tough call on whether to reward his red–hot form with a permanent opening slot or stick with the experienced Shubman Gill for the Asia Cup 2025.
If Team India management decides to go with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma as an opening combination, Sanju Samson is likely to be slotted to No.3 or the middle order, where his aggressive strokeplay and ability to anchor the innings could provide the perfect balance between stability and firepower in the batting line-up. In his T20 career across all levels, Samson has found more success at the top-order, amassing 6058 runs, including six centuries, at an average of 33.46 in 203 matches.
Given his T20 record as the top-order batter, Samson’s recent form in the KCL 2025 strengthens the argument for him to retain an opening role. Since he has played as an opener in the last T20I series, Samson has already proven his ability to provide explosive starts, anchor the innings, and build strong partnerships, while adapting to different match situations, making him a strong case for the team management to utilize him as an opener for the Asia Cup 2025.
In his T20I career, Samson has aggregated 861 runs, including 3 centuries and 2 fifties, at an average of 25.32 in 42 matches.