KCL 2025: Sanju Samson's teammate Alfi Francis John becomes first India batter to unique Record, gets dismissed.....

Sanju Samson's teammate in the Kerala Cricket League, Alfi Francis John, became the first Indian batter to be dismissed "timed out" in the KCL 2025.

This historic incident occurred during the semi-final match between Kochi Blue Tigers and Calicut Globstars at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.

John failed to take the strike within the 90-second limit allowed in T20 cricket after the previous wicket, and upon the opposition's appeal, the umpire upheld the "timed out" dismissal. John accepted the decision without protest. This rare form of dismissal sparked significant attention in Indian domestic cricket circles.

What is Timed Out in Cricket?

In context, the "Timed Out" rule in T20 cricket mandates a new batter to be ready to face the ball within 90 seconds of the previous batter's dismissal; failure to do so, if appealed by the fielding side, results in the batter being given out. Despite this setback, Kochi Blue Tigers posted a competitive total in the match.

In a World Cup 2023 match, Sri Lanka batter Angelo Mathews was givedn Timed Out after Bangladesh appealaed against him.

Speaking of the match, Kochi Blue Tigers sealed their place in the KCL final with a hard-fought 15-run win over Calicut Globstars. Batting first after being sent in, Kochi posted 186/8 in 20 overs. Nikhil Thotta anchored the innings with a blistering unbeaten 64 off 36 balls, while Mohammed Ashiq powered a late surge with 31 off just 10 deliveries. For Calicut, Manu Krishnan, Ibnul Aftab and Harikrishnan claimed two wickets each. Chasing 187, Calicut slipped early despite cameos from Amir Shah (23) and Akhil Skaria's counter-attacking 72* off 37 balls. Mohammed Ashiq turned the tide with three wickets and a direct-hit run out of Krishnadevan, sealing Kochi's victory by 15 runs. With this win, Kochi advanced to face Kollam Sailors in the grand final on Sunday (September 7).