Kerala cricket team have suffered an early blow as Jalaj Saxena has informed that he won’t be a part of the team’s Ranji Trophy 2025/26 campaign. The MP cricketer, who moved to Kerala in 2016 as a ‘guest player’, played a crucial role in guiding the latter to a historic final in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25. Kerala will now head into the domestic season without the services of the seasoned all-rounder.
No Jalaj Saxena for Kerala in Ranji Trophy
As per Sportstar, Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) secretary Vinod Kumar informed that Saxena wanted to take a break from cricket as he did not want to travel in order to remain close to his aged parents. Jalaj finished Ranji Trophy 2024/25 with 366 runs and 40 wickets to his name from 10 matches, averaging 33.27 and 22.55 with bat and ball respectively. He was the joint fourth highest wicket taker in the previous edition of the red-ball tournament.
“Jalaj said he wanted to take a break from cricket and won’t be available for Ranji Trophy this season. He told us that he didn’t want to travel and wanted to be close to his aged parents. We don’t know if he has any plans of joining other teams, as till now he hasn’t approached us for NOC,’‘ said the KCA secretary.
Since making his move to Kerala, Saxena has amassed 2215 runs and has taken 269 wickets. A veteran in first-class cricket, Jalaj has 7060 runs and 484 wickets from 150 matches so far in his career. One of his best seasons came in 2024/25 where he picked up 5 five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls. In January 2025, Saxena created history in the Ranji Trophy, becoming the first bowler to take five-wicket hauls against 19 different teams.
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