Former Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Sulakshan Kulkarni is the new man in charge of Oman’s national side, replacing Duleep Mendis after a marathon 14-year stint. The change was confirmed shortly after the team’s winless T20 World Cup campaign, where Oman finished bottom of Group B behind Zimbabwe, Australia, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
Mendis isn’t disappearing entirely. He shifts upstairs as Oman Cricket’s Chief Development Officer, a role the board says will “tap into his vast experience”. Kulkarni, 59, had already been working as Mendis’ deputy since July last year, so the hand-over should be reasonably smooth.
His coaching CV is full of Indian domestic mileage: Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Mumbai have all benefited from his straight-talking style. As a player, Kulkarni logged 65 first-class matches between 1985-86 and 2001-02, scoring 3332 runs at 38.29, with six centuries. One-day numbers were modest—130 runs in 13 games—but the overall package was enough to keep him on the circuit for nearly two decades, turning out for Mumbai, Railways, Assam and Vidarbha.
Oman’s immediate schedule has been thrown off course. The ICC CWC League 2 tri-series in Nepal, pencilled in for next week with UAE also involved, has been postponed after air strikes in West Asia triggered widespread flight cancellations. No replacement dates have been set.
There is, then, time for Kulkarni to settle in, assess resources and—crucially—work out how to convert qualifying appearances into tangible victories. Whether his domestic grounding translates to the international Associate scene remains to be seen, but the board clearly feels continuity mixed with fresh ideas is the way forward.
