‘I would love to be part of CSK after KKR’ – Sufyan Mehmood credits MS Dhoni as inspiration [Exclusive]

Sufyan Mehmood, in an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, opened up about his cricketing journey, key learnings from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and his future aspirations in the game. During the conversation, Mehmood also shared his picks for the all-time top five pacers in T20 cricket. He further spoke about his favourite Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise he would love to be a part of.

The discussion also touched upon the possibility of a bilateral series between Oman and India. He spoke about the level of preparation required to compete against a world-class team. Mehmood also revealed that Jasprit Bumrah is his idol. He further mentioned receiving valuable advice from Indian cricketers recently, which has helped him understand the nuances of high-level cricket and improve his own game.

Excerpts from the interview:

1. Sufyan, people now want to know more about countries/players coming from associate nations. Could you please tell us where your cricket journey began, and who inspired you growing up? 

Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me here. My cricketing journey actually started in school. I used to watch my brother play for his school team.

I was very passionate about cricket since childhood, but we mostly played in a park near our house with a softball or tennis ball. That’s where it all began. Then I played for my school, and from there I moved into age group cricket in Oman, starting with under 17. I then played under 19 as well and performed in both tournaments representing Oman.

After that, I got called up to the senior team in 2009 when I was just 17 years old. Since then, I have been playing cricket for Oman. As for who inspired me to take up the sport, it was my brother. I used to watch him play for his school team, and he would take me along with him. That’s where I started falling in love with the game.

2. What are your learnings from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign? 

Well, from this campaign, I think we have learned a lot, especially about how to apply ourselves in pressure situations. In most of these three games, we were not very consistent with the ball, in terms of line, plans, and execution. With the bat as well, we lost too many wickets in the powerplay.

In T20 cricket, if you can click in at least two departments, you can do well and get the result. But in our case, none of the departments came together in a single game. In some matches, we bowled well in patches, and in others, we batted well in patches.

If everything had come together, it could have been a different story. So, it is more about handling pressure at this stage. I am not taking anything away from the opposition, but I would like to add that most of our players are featuring in the World Cup for the first time.

That matters a lot because playing in such a big event, where the whole world is watching, brings its own pressure, especially when you are experiencing it for the first time. I am confident the boys will come back strongly.

We saw in the Asia Cup how Aamir Kaleem performed against India. That is the kind of calibre our players have. This is just one bad tournament, and I am sure they will bounce back stronger.

3. What are your all-time top five fast bowlers in T20 Cricket? 

Jasprit Bumrah, Naseem Shah, Marco Jansen, Matheesha Pathirana, Mohammed Siraj

4. If not KKR, which franchise would you love to be a part of in the IPL and why?

If not KKR, then I think it would be CSK because Chennai Super Kings. I am a fan of Chennai Super Kings because of MS Dhoni and he is a great leader. He has done a lot for India and that would be my dream team after KKR. I would like to be a part of CSK.

5. Let’s suppose India and Oman agree to a bilateral series. How would the Oman team prepare itself for India’s star-studded line-up, and how would such a series benefit Oman Cricket in the larger sense? 

Basically, if we play a series against India, the preparation would, of course, be much tougher. That said, we try to treat every tournament and every team the same, so our preparation is always in full swing.

In terms of our cricket, it would help us a lot because the Indian team is very experienced and has many star players. The more we play against them, the more we learn.

Playing against strong teams and quality players helps raise your own standards as well, so it would definitely benefit us a lot.

6. Which pacer is your current idol, and have you received any advice from your idol?

I think right now it is Jasprit Bumrah. We met him during the Asia Cup. I have not taken any advice from him, but I really like how he keeps things simple. He sticks to his basics and backs his strengths.

If he is good at the yorker, he trusts it and continues to use it. He always operates within his strengths. Whatever the situation, even if things are not going his way, he believes in his skills and executes them. That is the best thing I admire about him.

7. What was the best piece of advice you received from an Indian cricketer after your game against India?

Well, after the game against India, I spoke to Abhishek Sharma. He has been to Oman before for the Emerging Asia Cup. I also had brief conversations with Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Suryakumar Yadav, and also received guidance from Gautam Gambhir.

The advice I sought from them was mainly about my batting, as I can bat as well. I asked about improving my power hitting and overall batting.

They were really helpful and explained everything in great detail. What I appreciated most was that they did not just give short answers and move on. They took the time to explain things properly, gave us confidence, and motivated us to do well. When such guidance comes from top players, it means a lot.