Oman to host Kerala in three-match T20 Series

MUSCAT: Fresh from a spirited display against India in the Asia Cup that won them admiration despite a loss, Oman are set to welcome Kerala for an exciting three-match T20 series, beginning

Tuesday at the Oman Cricket Academy ground in Al Amerat.

The series is expected to give the hosts a chance to build momentum and fine-tune their game ahead of next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier.

Led by Jatinder Singh, Oman will play three back-to-back T20s against Kerala, followed by two T20Is against Kuwait on September 29-30.

Kuwait are one of the teams to be part of the World Cup qualifier in October.

Oman head coach Duleep Mendis has retained the same Asia Cup squad, with Mohammed Imran added for this series.

Speaking on the eve of the first match, Mendis said: “We are looking for good competitive games, which the Indian teams provide. We had done a similar exercise earlier this year when we played limited-overs matches against Kerala and Karnataka. The boys need tough games to be ready for the World Cup Qualifiers next month.”

He added: “It will also give me a good idea of the boys’ preparations and help me formalise the final squad for the World Cup qualifiers.”

Kerala will be led by all-rounder Saly Samson, elder brother of Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. The team’s 16-man squad also features Vishnu Vinod, who has IPL experience with Mumbai Indians. Kerala’s side is coached by Sebastian Antony.

Looking ahead, Oman will host the combined ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier from October 8.

Nine teams — including Kuwait, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar, Japan, Samoa, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and hosts Oman — will compete for three spots at the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

The 10-day tournament begins with a group stage from October 8-10. The nine teams are divided into three groups of three, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Six stage from October 12-17.

Oman, grouped with Papua New Guinea and Samoa, will aim to leverage home advantage in their bid to qualify for the fourth time and second in succession after featuring in the 2024 World Cup in USA and West Indies.

Oman squad: Jatinder Singh (capt), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Mohammed Imran, Jitenkumar Ramanandi, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Yousuf.

Oman vs Kerala match start times: 23 Sept: 2.30pm, 24 Sept: 7pm, 26 Sept: 10am.