- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
SMAT 2025: Sanju Samson, along with Rohan S. Kunnumal, gave Kerala a flying start to the tournament after building the highest opening partnership in the tournament's history. This 177-run partnership helped Kerala beat Odisha by 10 wickets in Lucknow as they chased the target of 176 runs in 16 overs.
Rohzan Kunnumal had scored a match-winning knock of 121 runs off 60 balls, in which he had hit 10 sixes and 10 fours. Samson played the role of an anchor as he scored a gritty knock of 51 runs off 41 balls.
Odisha had posted a target of 176/7, where Samantray was their highest run-scorer as he had scored a gritty knock of 53 runs off 41 balls, and Sambit Baral had scored 40 runs off 32 balls. Swastik Samal and Gaurav Choudhary did give the team a flying start, but they failed to build on it. The Kerala bowlers maintained their line and length as Nideesh took a four-fer, whereas KS Asif and Ankit Sharma gave the team the much-needed breakthroughs.
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When Samson and Kunnumal came out to bat, the match slipped away from Odisha's hands. This partnership didn't just break all the earlier records of this tournament but also helped Kerala maintain its dominance while chasing. Neither batter gave a chance as they kept the scorecard ticking and made sure that the middle order batters didn't have to bat.
Sanju Samson had also become a part of the biggest trade in IPL's history. Rajasthan Royals traded him to five-time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as RR got all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and England's Sam Curran. Samson will be playing for CSK in the next season at the base price of Rs 18 cr, whereas Jadeja's fee went from Rs 18 cr to Rs 14 cr. At the same time, Curran's has been traded to RR at the base price of Rs 2.4 cr.