As a young boy watching cricket on television, Manav Krishna was enamoured by M.S. Dhoni’s lightning-fast skills behind the stumps. He developed a fascination with wicket-keeping and dreamt of becoming a cricketer like the former Indian captain.

Today, Manav is one of the brightest young talents in Kerala cricket, having played in the Ranji Trophy before earning an under-19 India cap.

However, the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) has proved to be an elusive stage for Manav, who is yet to play a single match in the State’s premier T20 tournament.

He was a surprise omission in the second season auction. Though he was picked as a replacement midway through the league, a call-up for the NCA camp delayed his KCL debut.

The long-awaited debut may be on the horizon in the third season after getting selected by Thrissur Titans.

The 18-year-old heads into the tournament high on confidence after scoring a century against Sri Lanka in the second youth Test in July.

He remains optimistic that he will be able to make the transition from the slow-burning longer format to the frantic pace of T20 cricket.

“I am very confident that I will be able to adapt to T20 cricket, and I think I have the strokes to succeed in this format. I played on a good batting track in Sri Lanka and made good use of the opportunity. I played the ball on merit, and it was satisfying to score a century against Sri Lanka,’’ he said.

Manav enjoyed a prolific 2025-26 season in the Cooch Behar Trophy, amassing 590 runs with two centuries. His batting was the lone bright spot for Kerala in a disastrous campaign. Manav’s consistent performance earned him a place in the Ranji Trophy team. He made his debut against Goa and impressed with his glovework, taking four catches and playing a small but significant role in his team’s consolation win.

Manav’s rise, however, is also a story of a bold leap of faith when he made the calculated decision to shift his cricketing base from the hyper-competitive corridors of Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram.

He found a mentor in S.S. Shine at St. Mary’s Cricket Academy. “I have been training under Shine sir ever since I came to Thiruvananthapuram. He has played a big part in moulding my career and refining my skills’’ said Manav.

“He is very hard-working, sincere and above all, very focused. I am happy with the way he has progressed, and the India Under-19 cap doesn’t surprise me. He is one of the best young talents in Kerala right now,’’ said Shine.

And Manav is trying his best to live up to the expectations.

All-rounder Jalaj Saxena will represent Kerala in the 2026-27 domestic season. Jalaj, who played for Maharashtra in the 2025-26 season, didn’t take part in the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) in June. He applied for an NOC and the BCCI approved his transfer, making him eligible to play for Kerala.

The BCCI clearance came on the eve of the Kerala Cricket League player auction. Alleppey Ripples, for whom Jalaj played last season, was quick to retain him for ₹5 lakh. Jalaj was also actively involved in the auction as part of Ripples’ bidding team. 

Mohammed Azharuddeen, former Kerala Ranji Trophy captain, welcomed Jalaj back, stating that his availability will be a big boost for Kerala.

“He is a proven match-winner. We all know the value he brings to the side. We struggled to take wickets last season, and Jalaj will strengthen our bowling in the upcoming season,” he said.

Jalaj, who left Kerala after nine seasons, had taken 25 wickets and scored 164 runs for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy last season. 

For Kerala, Jalaj has taken 352 wickets and scored 3,153 runs across all formats. In the Ranji Trophy alone, Jalaj scored 2,252 runs, including three centuries, and took 269 wickets with 23 five-wicket hauls for Kerala. He remains the only cricketer to score 6,000 runs and take 400 wickets in Ranji Trophy. 

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) lifted the three-year ban it had imposed on former international cricketer S. Sreesanth last year for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the organisation.

The KCA took the decision to lift the ban in its special general body meeting held during the day, a statement from the association said.

Supreme Court revokes life ban on Sreesanth in spot-fixing case

The decision was taken based on the unconditional apology submitted by the cricketer, expressing regret for his remarks against the KCA, the statement said.

The ban was imposed on Sreesanth prior to the last Kerala Cricket League (KCL) matches, it said.