Rohit Bhandiye
PANAJI
In a major boost for Goan cricket, Goa’s Ranji team will be touring Oman in the month of August to play a bi-lateral series which will involve two T20 and three ODI matches.
This will be a first-of-its-kind foreign exposure trip for Goa’s Ranji squad after a gap of 14 years. In 2012, Goan men’s senior cricket team had gone to South Africa to participate in a tournament.
“On 12 July 2026, Goa Cricket Association received an invitation from Oman Cricket to send Goa’s Ranji team to play two T20 and three ODI matches. This is part of Oman’s cricket overall strategy to play practice matches against foreign teams. They will be playing against 16 teams and we should be considered ourself lucky because they choose Goa as one of the teams. Our boys will be playing against Oman’s national team which had participated in the 2026 T20 World Cup held in India earlier this year, “ Tulsidas Shetye, Secretary, Goa Cricket Association told The Goan.
“In Goa, we have heavy rains during this time due to which our boys cannot practice much. So, this will serve as a valuable exposure trip for them. They will get good experience of playing against an international side and it will help them in their overall preparation for the upcoming Ranji season that begins in October,“ Shetye added.
Goa’s squad will arrive in Oman on August 8. They will play two T20 matches on August 10 and 11 followed by ODI on August 13, 15 and 17.
Oman cricket team consists mostly of Indian and Pakistani origin players, rather than native Omanis.
Oman has participated in four ICC T20 World Cup – 2016, 2021, 2024 and 2026. Oman has also played in 2025 Asia Cup. As per latest ICC rankings, Oman is ranked 16th in ODI and 20th in T20.
Oman has been an Associate Member of ICC with ODI status since 2014.
Former Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Sulakshan Kulkarni is the head coach of Oman men's cricket team. He took over from former Sri Lankan cricketer Duleep Mendis, who served as head coach for 14 years before transitioning to Chief Development Officer for Oman Cricket.
It will be a good exposure trip for Goa’s Ranji squad ahead of the new season 2026-27 that begins on October 11.
Goa has been placed in a tough Elite Group A, along with defending champions Jammu and Kashmir, former champions Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Baroda. Bihar and Puducherry are the remaining teams in the group.
Goa is scheduled to play three games at home i.e. against Baroda (Oct 11 - 14), Bihar (Nov 2 – 5) and Puducherry (Jan 17 - 20) while the matches against Uttar Pradesh (Oct 18 – 21), Vidarbha (Oct 26 – 29), Madhya Pradesh (Jan 24 – 27) and Jammu & Kashmir (Feb 1- 4) will be away games.
Former India international Dinesh Mongia will be the new head coach of Goa. Mongia had earlier coached Goa’s senior squad during 2024-25 season. During his tenure, Goa had topped the Plate division and qualified for Elite Group.
“We shortlisted five coaches for the interview among the various applications we received and found Dinesh Mongia to be the most suitable one. We selected him based on his past performance and I am sure Goa will perform better under his guidance during the upcoming season,” Shetye said.
Goa - Oman Bilateral Series
1st T20: August 10, 2026
2nd T20: August 11, 2026
1st ODI: August 13, 2026
2nd ODI: August 15, 2026
3rd ODI: August 17, 2026
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Goa's Ranji Fixtures (Elite Group A)
Goa vs Baroda: October 11–14, 2026
Uttar Pradesh vs Goa: October 18–21, 2026
Vidarbha vs Goa: October 26–29, 2026
Goa vs Bihar: November 2–5, 2026
Goa vs Puducherry: January 17–20, 2027
Madhya Pradesh vs Goa: January 24–27, 2027
Jammu and Kashmir vs Goa: February 1–4, 2027
