Asian Games 2026 Cricket Schedule Out, India vs Pakistan Possible Only On 'One Condition'
Interestingly, both India's men's and women's teams won gold medals at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, and will enter the tournament as defending champions.
- India's men's and women's cricket teams will compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan
- Cricket matches will be T20 format with full international status from September 17 to 24
- India's men's team can face Pakistan only once at the Asian Games - either in the semi-finals or final
India's men's and women's cricket teams will be in action at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The quadrennial event is scheduled to take place from September 19 to October 4, with cricket making its fourth appearance at the Games. The schedule for the cricket competition has been released, with the men's tournament beginning on September 24 and the women's competition starting on September 17. It presents a great opportunity for many players, as all matches will be played in the T20 format and will carry full international status.
Interestingly, both India's men's and women's teams won gold medals at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, and will enter the tournament as defending champions.
In the men's competition, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have directly qualified for the quarter-finals as the top-seeded teams. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A, and Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman in Group B, will battle for the remaining four quarter-final spots. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Top 8 stage.
The highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash can take place only once at the Asian Games, either in one of the semi-finals or in the final.
The Women in Blue will face Japan in the last-eight stage of the T20 tournament. A victory would send Harmanpreet Kaur's side into a semifinal against either Bangladesh or China, both of whom have also been drawn in the same half of the bracket.
The remaining quarter-final ties will see Sri Lanka meet Malaysia, while Pakistan will begin their campaign against Thailand, with the winners advancing to the second semi-final.
India will field experienced leadership in both competitions. Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to captain the women's side with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy, while Shreyas Iyer will lead the men's team alongside vice-captain Tilak Varma. Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named in India's 15-member men's squad.
(With IANS Inputs)
India Cricket Team
India Women
Pakistan Cricket Team