The schedule for the cricket events at the 2026 Asian Games has been released. The biggest news for Indian cricket fans is that the clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will not take place in the preliminary round. The two teams will only face each other if they reach the semi-finals or the final; this means cricket enthusiasts will have to wait for both teams to make it to the last four to witness this high-profile encounter.
India: Defending Champion in Both Categories
Cricket has been included for the fourth time in the Asian Games, which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Previously, cricket was part of the 2010 (Guangzhou), 2014 (Incheon), and 2023 (Hangzhou) Asian Games. India is the reigning champion and will set out to defend its titles in both the men’s and women’s categories. Once again, both the men’s and women’s competitions will be played in the T20 format, and all matches will be accorded full international status. The women’s cricket competition will take place from September 17 to 22, while the men’s matches will be held between September 24 and October 1. All matches will be hosted at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.
India Enters Men’s Quarter-Finals Directly
In the men’s competition, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have been awarded top seedings. These four teams have been granted direct entry into the quarter-finals. The remaining four spots will be determined through preliminary round matches. In the preliminary stage, six teams are divided into two groups: Group A comprises Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Group B includes Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. Due to this format, India and Pakistan cannot play against each other in the quarter-finals; a clash between the two will only be possible if both teams reach the semi-finals or the final.
Women’s Team to Open Against Japan
In the women’s category as well, India has secured direct entry into the quarter-finals. The team led by Harmanpreet Kaur will kick off its campaign against hosts Japan. If the Indian team wins this match, it will face either Bangladesh or China in the semi-finals. In the other quarter-finals, Sri Lanka will take on Malaysia, while Pakistan will face Thailand.
Men’s Cricket Schedule for Asian Games 2026
Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal
Group B: Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Oman
Quarter-final Match Schedule
India vs Qualifier
Pakistan vs Qualifier
Sri Lanka vs Qualifier
Bangladesh vs Qualifier
Women’s Cricket Quarter-final Schedule for Asian Games 2026
India vs Japan
Bangladesh vs China
Sri Lanka vs Malaysia
Pakistan vs Thailand
Indian Men’s Team for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Indian Women’s Team for Asian Games: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Bharti Fulmali, Sri Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, and Nandani Sharma.