Kerala Cricket Association Suspends S Sreesanth For 3 Years, Set To Seek Compensation From Samson's Father Over 'Baseless' Allegation: Report

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) on Friday announced the suspension of former India pacer S Sreesanth from all cricket-related activities under its jurisdiction, following his public comments criticising the association’s handling of Sanju Samson’s exclusion from India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.

According to Indian Express report, the decision was taken during a special general body meeting of the KCA in Ernakulam. Sreesanth, currently co-owner of the Aries Kollam Sailors franchise in the Kerala Cricket League, had earlier lashed out at the KCA over Samson’s omission from the state team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December 2024, which reportedly led to his non-selection for the national squad.

The controversy erupted after Sanju Samson was left out of Kerala’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a decision that reportedly contributed to his omission from India’s Champions Trophy lineup. The move drew sharp criticism from former India pacer S Sreesanth, who publicly lashed out at the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), expressing his frustration over the treatment of the star wicketkeeper-batter.

The KCA reminded Sreesanth of the support he received from the board during his darkest period.

“When Sreesanth was in jail facing allegations in the infamous match-fixing scandal, KCA officials visited and supported him. Although the court quashed the criminal case, it is a fact that he has not been acquitted in the match-fixing case. In such a situation, there is no need for Sreesanth to take up the protection of other players,” the association stated.

The association clarified that the issue was not Sreesanth’s support for Samson, but the “false and defamatory statements” he made publicly, which were in violation of his contractual obligations.

“The show cause notice was not for Sreesanth showing support to Samson, but for ‘making false and defamatory statements,’ which was a violation of his contractual terms as the co-owner of the Kollam Sailors franchise,” the KCA stated.

Franchises Aries Kollam Sailors, Alleppey Team Lead, and Alleppey Ripples were also issued notices. However, they were spared any penalties after submitting satisfactory responses. The KCA, however, urged franchise managements to be more cautious when recruiting personnel.

Sanju Samson's father could land in legal trouble

The report also state that KCA has announced taking legal action against Sanju Samson’s father Samson Viswanath, Reji Lukose, and a TwentyFour news channel anchor for allegedly making “baseless allegations against the association in Sanju’s name.”

The controversy started when Samson skipped the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic 50-over tournament, citing unavailability for a team camp. His absence reportedly played a key role in the selectors’ decision to leave him out of the Champions Trophy squad.

“Sanju had sent an email stating that he would not be available for the camp. The team had a short camp in Wayanad without him. Naturally, we only considered those who were part of the sessions for selection,” explained KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar. “There has been no further discussion with him on the matter.”

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