Bonanza: Krishna Devan was the second most expensive player in the KCL auction.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Along the winding road leading to the KCA cricket stadium in Mangalapuram, his face stares at you from the numerous flex boards.
After all, the 27-year-old Krishna Devan is the toast of his hometown after he became the second most expensive player (₹11.20 lakh) in the recent Kerala Cricket League (KCL) auction.
Though he lives just a stone’s throw away from the KCA stadium, cricket entered Krishna Devan’s life at a relatively late age of 21. He was a self-taught javelin thrower and Kerala University champion before a shoulder injury brought a premature end to his athletics career.
“I tried my luck with cricket after completing my BSC in Mathematics. I used to play tennis ball cricket, so transitioning to the original cricket ball was easy for me,’’ Krishna Devan explained.
The youngster was forced to take on menial jobs to pursue his passion because of his family’s financial situation. However, after breaking two bats and losing a significant amount of money in stock trading, Krishna Devan found himself at a crossroads.
In a desperate midnight impulse, he packed his bags, rode his bike to Bengaluru and spent the next eight months working as a food delivery executive. “I needed money and cricket was the last thing on my mind when I arrived in Bengaluru,’’ he said.
Yet, he couldn’t stay away from the sport for long. He made friends with local club cricketers and played in tournaments during his spare time. Sagar, a club patron who got to know of Krishna Devan’s struggles, gifted him a full kit and five bats, urging him to return home and play.
Krishna Devan rejoined Kids Cricket Club and rapidly earned a reputation as a terrifying power-hitter. Despite a painful snub in the inaugural KCL season, he forced his way into the spotlight during the 2025 President’s Cup semifinal, smashing four sixes in the final over to steal an impossible win for KCA Lions.
Calicut Globstars snapped him up for a modest ₹75,000 in the second season. Krishna Devan didn’t get many opportunities, but his breathtaking unbeaten 11-ball 49 against Aries Kollam Sailors underlined his immense potential.
A thumb injury, which required surgery, sidelined him for five months this year. But he returned in style, playing match-winning knocks for Thiruvananthapuram in the NSK Trophy T20 tournament in June. The KCL auction proved to be a life-changing milestone for Krisha Devan.
“It was unbelievable. I was watching the auction on TV and felt happy when my family finally acknowledged me. Now I will have to live up to the expectations and do well in the upcoming KCL”.
Published – July 28, 2026 06:20 pm IST
