India’s men’s and women’s cricket teams are set to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where cricket will feature for the fourth time in the multi-sport event. The Games are scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4, with the cricket schedule now officially confirmed.
The women’s tournament will get underway on September 17, followed by the men’s competition on September 24. Played entirely in T20 format, every match will have full international status, offering players a valuable opportunity to earn official caps while representing India on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages.
IND vs PAK possible only in semis or final
A blockbuster India-Pakistan contest at 2026 Asian Games can only materialise in the latter stages of the tournament, with the two sides capable of meeting only in either the semi-finals or the final.
India’s women’s team will open its campaign in the quarter-finals against Japan. If Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates progress, they will face either Bangladesh or China in the semi-finals, with both teams placed in the same half of the draw.
In the other half, Sri Lanka will take on Malaysia in one quarter-final, while Pakistan will begin its campaign against Thailand. The winners of those matches will advance to the second semi-final, keeping alive the possibility of an India-Pakistan showdown only in the knockout rounds.
India enters Games as defending champion
India will head into the 2026 Asian Games as the defending champion in both the men’s and women’s cricket events after clinching gold medals in Hangzhou 2023.
In the men’s tournament, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have secured direct entry into the quarter-finals as the top four seeded teams. The remaining four quarter-final berths will be decided through the group stage, where Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal will compete in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman make up Group B. The top two teams from each group will progress to the last-eight stage.
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