Sanju Samson opts out of T20 tournament [Source: AFP]Sanju Samson enjoyed a generational run for Team India earlier this year during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The blistering opener unleashed match-winning half-centuries in the semifinal and the final, and was adjudged ‘Player of the Tournament’ after India’s successful title defence. The 31-year-old also scored runs in heaps for the CSK franchise as an opener in the IPL 2026 season. However, the explosive top-order batter failed to replicate his success in India’s subsequent European T20I tours of Ireland and England.Samson’s twin failures in Ireland led to India’s shambolic 0-2 series defeat, and the opener also scored just a single at Chester-le-Street in the series opener against England. On a trail of three successive failures, the seasoned T20 pro was excluded from Team India squad for the upcoming short tour of Zimbabwe.Following his exclusion, Samson has now withdrawn his name from a marquee T20 tournament in India. Which Marquee T20 tournament Has Sanju Samson Opted Out Of?Mere days after getting ‘rested’ by the BCCI from India’s upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, Sanju Samson has now opted out of the upcoming third edition of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL).Also Read- Sanju Samson's Comeback In India Playing XI Vs England Backed In One ConditionThe 31-year-old will not participate in KCL 2026 season, set to be played from August 20 and September 5 at the Sports Hub Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. It is worth noting that Samson played for the Kochi Blue Tigers in last year’s KCL 2025 season, and has already informed the team management about his unavailability this time around. Why did Sanju Samson withdraw from Kerala Cricket League?As confirmed by Nazar Machan, chairman of KCL governing council, Sanju Samson has opted out of the KCL 2026 season owing to personal reasons. The cricketer has also not registered his name in the player draft of the KCL 2026 auction, set to be organized on July 11. Explaining why the Kochi Blue Tigers franchise did not retain Samson ahead of the auction, Nazar said “Sanju had informed the Kochi Blue Tigers and KCA about his unavailability for the third edition of the KCL because of prior commitments. So, it wasn’t a surprise that he was released by Kochi Blue Tigers ahead of the auction.”The KCL chairman also praised Sanju Samson and stated that his absence will surely be felt among fans and followers of the tournament. In the three matches Samson played for the Kochi Blue Tigers last year, the explosive top-order batter bludgeoned 221 runs in just three innings, which included a scorching 121 against the Aires Kollam Sailors franchise. Sanju Samson benched in England, rested for ZimbabweAfter undergoing three failures on the trot, Samson was replaced in the Indian playing XI by rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the second and third T20I of the series against England. His absence made little difference to the team’s fortunes as India ended up losing both those fixtures to go 0-2 down in the series. He is also ‘rested’ from Team India squad for the upcoming three-match tour of Zimbabwe. His repeated exclusions do not necessarily mean the end of the road for the champion opener, as he is still included in India squad for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Also Read- Why Is A Women’s Test Held For Four Days Instead Of Traditional 5?
