S Sreesanth named in Kerala probables list for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

A familiar face could appear on a cricket field for the first time in seven and a half years as S Sreesanth, on Tuesday, was named in Kerala’s 26-man probables list for the 2020/21 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 37-year-old Sreesanth last played a professional game of cricket on May 9, 2013, against the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, after which he was handed a seven-year ban by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy that shook the T20 extravaganza. Sreesanth served out his ban in September, and now has been immediately included in Kerala’s squad after becoming eligible for selection.

Sreesanth is only one of the many colossal names in Kerala’s probables list, as both Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson have also been included in the list. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is slated to kick-off in the first week of January, which would mean that Samson, whose next national assignment will only be in February, will be available for the entirety of the competition. 

Kerala’s list of probables: Robin Uthappa, Jalaj Saxena, Sanju Samson, Vishnu Vinod, Rahul P, Mohammed Azarudeen, Rohan Kunnumel, Sachin Baby, Salman Nizar, Basil Thampi, S Sreesanth, M D Nideesh, K M Asif, Basil NP, Akshay Chandran, Sijomon Joseph, Midhun S, Abhishek Mohan, Vatsal Govind, Anand Joseph, Vinoop Manoharan, Midhun PK, Sreeroop, Akshay KC, Rojith, Arun M

However, while Kerala have been showered with good news, things are tumultuous for their South neighbors Tamil Nadu, who will be without a plethora of stars. While Varun Chakravarthy is expected to give the tournament a miss due a shoulder injury, TN will be without the services of the trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar, all of whom are currently in Australia with the national side. 

Elsewhere, Suresh Raina is also expected to feature for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic T20 competition. With a potential mega auction looming, the forthcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy could prove to be pivotal for Raina, who has not played a game of professional cricket since IPL 2019.