Thiruvananthapuram: Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will lead Keralam in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), which begins on November 14, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Keralam will open their campaign against Madhya Pradesh at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on November 14.
The 18-member squad includes Vishnu Vinod, Keralam's red-ball captain, and domestic cricket regular Jalaj Saxena.
Several performers from the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) have also earned places in the squad. Top-order batter Ahammed Imran and batting all-rounder Govind Dev have been included, alongside right-arm pacer KM Asif and left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur.
Keralam have been placed in Group C alongside Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tripura.
Under Samson's captaincy last season, Keralam finished fourth in their group and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.
Samson heads into the tournament after a mixed run in New Zealand. He scored 14, 18, four and four in his last four outings after making a quickfire 67 in the first T20I.
However, the wicketkeeper-batter has enjoyed a strong overall run in the format. He was named Player of the Tournament during India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign, scoring 319 runs, including three consecutive half-centuries from the Super Eights to the final.
In 30 T20Is this year, Samson has scored 810 runs at an average of 27.93 and a strike rate of 173.44. His tally includes eight half-centuries, with a highest score of 97 not out.
Including his two centuries for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Samson has accumulated 1,287 runs in 44 T20 matches this year at an average of 32.17 and a strike rate above 170. The tally includes two centuries and nine half-centuries.
Sanju Samson (captain, wicketkeeper), Rohan Kunnummal, Mohammed Azharuddeen (wicketkeeper), Ahammed Imran, Govind Dev, Krishna Devan, Vishnu Vinod (wicketkeeper), Salman Nizar, Akhil Scaria, Nikhil M, Vignesh Puthur, Biju Narayanan, Karthik B Nair, Vaisakh Chandran, KM Asif, Nidheesh MD, Sharafuddeen NM and Jalaj Saxena.