Why Karan Sonavale is Not Playing Today in SL vs OMAN T20 World Cup 2026?

The 16th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 between Sri Lanka and Oman is scheduled on February 12 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. The hosts have put up a fascinating show in the marquee event, winning their first encounter with ease. If they win this match against Oman, they'll jump a step closer to the Super 8 qualifications.

In this match, it was Oman captain Jatinder Singh who won the toss and decided to bowl first. The skipper revealed that they had dropped Karan Sonavale from the team for the SL vs OMAN T20 World Cup 2026 encounter.

Why Karan Sonavale is Not Playing Today Against Sri Lanka?

Oman's batting all-rounder, Karan Sonavale, has been dropped from the team for the upcoming match against Sri Lanka. His current performance in the format is most likely to be the reason behind his snub. In the previous game, the all-rounder was dismissed on a duck and didn't pick up any wickets either. Mohammed Nadeem has been brought in as Karan Sonavale replacement against Sri Lanka. This will be his first game in the tournament, so a lot of expectations will be on his shoulders. He is a much experienced player, having played over 50 T20I games for Oman. Overall, he has played in 70 matches, scoring 768 runs at an average of 20.75. He has also taken 40 wickets at an average of 29.22 in the format. Hence, he will be a key player for Oman in this upcoming clash.

Oman (Playing XI): Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh(c), Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Mohammad Nadeem, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla(w), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Jay Odedra

Can Oman Qualify for Super 8 in T20 World Cup 2026?

Oman is a relatively new team in the ICC tournament, with not much experience. While some of the players have played around 50 T20Is, that's mostly against associate teams. But in this T20 World Cup, Oman will face some of the best cricket teams in the world, Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Zimbabwe, who have much more experience in the marquee event, as well as in the format.

Hence, beating these teams and qualifying for the Super 8 will be a difficult task for Oman. But with the way the game has evolved, it's not entirely impossible. Oman will have to beat Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Australia to make their way into the knockout stages. They'll have to bat well, especially in the powerplay and death overs. It will be intriguing to see how they perform in their upcoming matches.