Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala cricket team is gearing up for what promises to be a challenging 2025-26 Ranji season. With their star player gone, the team is under immense pressure to perform.
Jalaj Saxena, a proven match-winner instrumental in Kerala’s home victories, particularly at the St. Xavier’s College ground, has departed for Maharashtra. Similarly, Aditya Sarwate, who played a crucial role in the team’s historic first-time entry to the final last season, has now moved to Chhattisgarh.
While Kerala’s past success often hinged on custom-made home pitches, the departure of these two experienced players makes replicating last year’s impressive run a daunting prospect. The team’s talent pool currently seems shallow, making it difficult to replace a player of Saxena’s caliber.
Although Kerala boasts capable spinners in white-ball cricket, it’s concerning that the state has failed to produce a single high-quality red-ball spinner over the past decade.
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has also been criticized for not establishing a robust system to nurture local spin bowling talent, instead opting to recruit players from other regions.
According to former Kerala captain and ICC panel umpire K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan, the KCA must now prioritize establishing a structured program for developing top-tier spin bowlers. The former leg-spinner emphasized that the KCA should identify promising young spinners and offer them consistent opportunities in the senior squad over an extended period.
“The KCA has undeniably contributed significantly to the sport’s development in Kerala, providing excellent infrastructure and training facilities,” Ananthapadmanabhan noted. “However, they appear to have overlooked the crucial need to cultivate local spinners. We’ve seen the benefits of backing our batters like Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, and Salman Nizar, who matured with consistent support. We need to extend this same philosophy to our young spinners. The KCA should pinpoint long-term prospects and ensure they play at least 20 senior-level matches to gain vital experience.”
He further elaborated, “Succeeding in red-ball cricket demands a distinct skill set. Many of our budding spinners, accustomed to limited-overs games, often focus primarily on containment. They need to learn the art of taking wickets in the longer format, a skill that can only be honed through consistent match exposure. I believe leg-spinner Mohamed Enaan, for instance, shows great promise and deserves proper nurturing from the KCA.”
Regarding Kerala’s prospects this upcoming season, Ananthapadmanabhan concluded that it would be incredibly difficult for the team to replicate their runner-up finish from last year if they fail to perform strongly in their home fixtures.