Aditya Gurumukhi is set to lead a group of talented Oman U19 cricketers in the upcoming ACC U19 Premier Cup Malaysia 2023, scheduled to take place from October 13 to 24.
This U19 50-over tournament, organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), serves as a qualifying event for the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup, to be held in Pakistan in December this year.
In this 16-team competition, Oman has been placed in Group B, alongside Qatar, China, and the highly-regarded UAE. The other groups are as follows: Group A includes Nepal, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Iran; Group C comprises Singapore, Kuwait, Thailand, and the Maldives; and Group D consists of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia. Matches will be hosted at three different venues, with the top teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
Oman's coach, Syed Aamir Kaleem, expressed his thoughts ahead of the team's departure, stating, "The squad is well-balanced, with a mix of experienced players and newcomers. The team has undergone rigorous training for the past two months, including practice matches against senior teams and in-house games to work on match situations."
He added, "The players are confident and optimistic. We are eager to showcase high-quality cricket in the upcoming days. Our primary goal is to perform well and secure a place in the Asia Cup."
The top three teams from the tournament will earn a berth in the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup.
The squad includes Aditya Gurumukhi (Captain), Aryan Bisht (Vice-Captain), Narayana Satish, Mustaqeem Asif, Ashish Valappil, Rahil Habibulla, Varshieth Sai, Prathiesh HR, Arafat Islam, Giriharan K, Aditya Girish, Saumya Sampat, Adharsh Srinivasan, and Wajih Abbas.
The team's officials are as follows: Coach - Syed Aamir Kaleem, Assistant Coach - Amir Ali, Manager - Sher Mohammed, and Physio - Sarvanan T.
Oman's match schedule (all matches begin at 5.30 am, Oman time):
- October 13: Oman vs. Qatar (YSD UKM Oval)
- October 16: Oman vs. UAE (YSD UKM Oval)
- October 18: Oman vs. China (Bayuemas Oval)
- October 22: Semi-finals
- October 24: Final and 3/4th place match