Sachin Baby to captain Alleppey Ripples, says he has unfinished business in KCL
Sachin Baby said in Thiruvananthapuram on August 12, 2026 that he has unfinished business in the Kerala Cricket League as he takes over as captain of Alleppey Ripples.
The 37-year-old pointed to a difficult 2025-26 domestic season that included a loss of place in the Kerala white-ball team after a period of poor returns. Earlier in his career he was a prolific scorer and, as captain, led Kerala to its first-ever Ranji Trophy final.
His strong form carried into the inaugural Kerala Cricket League, where Sachin scored a century in the final to anchor Aries Kollam Sailors to the title in 2024. He also had a decent run in the second edition of the KCL, helping Kollam Sailors reach a second consecutive final.
Sachin said the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign saw his runs dry up and featured a string of soft dismissals and uncharacteristic dropped catches that fuelled talk of him being omitted from the Ranji side; he eventually lost his place in the Kerala white-ball team.
"Last season I endured one of the lowest points of my career with the Kerala team. To be honest, there was a lot of negativity in the dressing room. Senior players Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate left due to differences with coach Amay Khurasiya. He even wanted to drop me because of my age. However, I saved my career by scoring a century against Madhya Pradesh. I am still one of the fittest players in the squad and it is not a crime to continue playing when you are past 35. I still have a few more years of cricket left in me," said the 37-year-old Sachin.
On his new assignment, Sachin confirmed his appointment as Alleppey Ripples captain and outlined his role with the squad: "It is an honour to lead Alleppey Ripples. We have a well- balanced side featuring some exciting talents like Sibin Girish and Abhijith Praveen alongside the experienced players like Jalaj Saxena and Mohammed Azharuddeen. My role will be to mentor the youngsters, make them feel at home and help them to realise their potential in the KCL," he said.
Addressing the wider issue of Kerala players being overlooked by IPL franchises, Sachin urged greater consistency across domestic white-ball tournaments: "The IPL franchises are strictly looking for match-winners and the competition is cut-throat. Our players need to seize every opportunity and consistently deliver game-changing performances with both bat and ball. Furthermore, Kerala needs to reach the knockout stages of SMAT and VHT regularly for our players to be noticed by IPL scouts," he concluded.
He will lead Alleppey Ripples in the KCL with the immediate goals of reversing the side's poor run in the competition and mentoring younger players while pushing for performances that could draw IPL attention.