Saturday 29 / August / 2026
MUSCAT: Armed with confidence from a productive build-up and carrying the experience of finishing runners-up in the previous edition, Oman will launch their ACC Premier Cup 2026 campaign in Malaysia, on Sunday with head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni backing his well-balanced side to deliver a strong performance in the high-stakes 50-over tournament.
The challenge, however, will be different for Oman this time. Having finished second in the previous edition played in the T20I format, Oman will now look to make their mark in the 50-over competition, where the champions will earn a coveted place in the Asia Cup while the top three teams will qualify for the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
Oman begin their Group B campaign against Singapore on August 30, with Kulkarni confident that his players are ready for the challenge after a successful preparation period, including the recent warm-up series against India’s domestic side Goa.
“We have high hopes for the boys. They prepared well and are coming to the tournament with confidence,” Kulkarni said.
“We had a nice warm-up series against India’s domestic side Goa. We tried different combinations and are all geared up.”
Oman used the five-match series against Goa to test their combinations ahead of the Premier Cup, winning the two-match T20 series 2-0 before losing the three-match 50-over series 2-1.
Kulkarni believes Oman have the right mix of experience and emerging talent to mount a strong challenge in the tournament.
“We have a well-balanced squad and I thank the selectors for ensuring the right balance. There are quite a few experienced players and I am hopeful that the boys will bring home positive results,” he said.
Among those returning to the squad are Karan Sonavale and Hassnain Wahab, with the latter earning his place following strong performance in the Goa series.
The tournament will also mark a significant milestone for Vinayak Shukla, who takes charge of Oman for his first major assignment as captain.
Kulkarni backed the wicketkeeper-batter to handle the responsibility, describing him as a “confident leader with a strong tactical understanding of the game.”
And the coach signed off ahead of the start of the event, “We will do well in this tournament.”
Oman have been drawn in Group B alongside UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore and will face each of their rivals in the league phase.
After Sunday's opening match against Singapore, Oman take on Qatar on September 2, Kuwait on September 5 and UAE on September 8.
The 10-team tournament is divided into two groups, with the competition progressing to the semi-finals, final and a third-place playoff. The winners will qualify for the Asia Cup, while the top three teams will book their places in the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
All Oman matches will begin at 1.30pm Oman time and will be streamed live on the ACC YouTube channel in Oman.
Oman squad: Vinayak Shukla (captain, wicketkeeper), Jatinder Singh, Hassnain Wahab, Hammad Mirza, Jiten Ramanandi, Shakeel Ahmad, Nadeem Khan, Muhammed Imran, Faisal Shah, Hasnain Ali Shah, Jay Odedara, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale and Mujib Ali.
