India Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026: Dates & Timings

India Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026: Matches, Dates & Timings

The India cricket schedule at Asian Games 2026 will see both the men’s and women’s teams attempt to defend the gold medals they won at the previous Asian Games.

Cricket at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 will be played in the T20 format in Japan. India have received favourable positions in both competitions, but the routes taken by the two teams are different.

India Women begin their campaign against hosts Japan, while India Men are seeded directly into the knockout stage and will play their first Asian Games match on September 28.

Here is the India-specific schedule with match dates, timings and the possible road to the gold-medal matches.

India Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026 – Quick Overview

India enter the competition as the defending Asian Games champions in both men’s and women’s cricket.

For readers looking beyond India’s fixtures, our Asian Games Cricket 2026 hub covers the tournament format, teams, schedule and other major updates.

India Women Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026

India Women have been placed alongside Japan, Bangladesh and China in their section of the competition.

Their first scheduled match is against hosts Japan on September 18 at 2:00 PM Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 10:30 AM IST.

India Women Match Schedule

*Semi-final and medal-match participation depends on India progressing through the tournament.

This makes the opening match particularly important. There is little room for recovery in a short tournament, and a strong performance against Japan would put India firmly on course for another medal.

India won the women’s cricket gold medal at Hangzhou 2023 and therefore arrive in Japan with the added pressure of defending the title.

The complete India Women Squad for Asian Games 2026 can also be checked separately for the latest team and player changes.

India Men Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026

India Men do not have to play the preliminary group matches.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the four seeded men’s teams and advance directly to the knockout stage.

India’s first match is scheduled for September 28, when they face the team finishing second in Group A.

India Men Match Schedule

*India must qualify for the subsequent rounds.

The quarter-final is therefore the first competitive Asian Games fixture for the Indian men’s team.

For the full player list, roles and latest changes, see our India Squad for Asian Games Cricket 2026 coverage.

Who Can India Face in the Men’s Quarter-final?

This is one of the most important details in India’s schedule.

Group A contains:

• Afghanistan
• Japan
• Nepal

India will face the second-placed team from Group A in Quarter-final 2 on September 28.

That means India’s opponent cannot be confirmed until the Group A matches have determined the final standings.

Group A Matches That Decide India’s Opponent

The team finishing second after these matches is scheduled to face India.

This gives extra importance to the Asian Games Cricket Points Table & Standings 2026, because Group A results directly determine India’s first opponent.

India’s Possible Road to Asian Games 2026 Gold

India Men need to navigate a relatively short route to the gold medal.

Men’s Route

If India win their quarter-final, they advance to the October 1 semi-finals.

A second victory would take them into the Asian Games 2026 cricket final on October 3.

India therefore potentially need only three knockout victories to successfully defend their men’s cricket gold medal.

India Women’s Possible Road to Gold

The women’s competition is compressed into an even shorter window.

Women’s Route

India Women could complete their entire Asian Games cricket campaign within five days.

The short turnaround between matches makes squad depth especially relevant. Players will have limited recovery and preparation time if India continue progressing.

Asian Games 2026 Cricket Venue

The Asian Games cricket competition is being staged in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, as part of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games.

The wider Asian Games are scheduled from September 19 to October 4, 2026, although the women’s cricket competition begins before the opening ceremony.

What Time Are India’s Asian Games Cricket Matches?

Japan is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of India.

For Indian viewers, the two main scheduled start slots translate as:

India Men’s quarter-final on September 28 is scheduled in the second slot, meaning a 10:30 AM IST start.

India Women’s opening match against Japan is also listed for the 10:30 AM IST slot.

India Men vs Japan Before Asian Games

There is another fixture Indian fans should not confuse with the Asian Games schedule.

India Men are scheduled to face Japan in a separate T20I on September 22 at Sano International Cricket Ground.

The match begins at 1:00 PM local time in Japan and 9:30 AM IST.

This is a separate international fixture and not part of the Asian Games cricket tournament.

It could nevertheless provide India with useful experience of Japanese conditions before their Asian Games quarter-final on September 28.

Why India’s September 28 Match Matters Most

India will start as one of the major contenders for the men’s gold medal, but the format leaves little margin for error.

There is no long league stage for India.

One poor performance in the quarter-final could end the gold-medal defence immediately.

At the same time, entering directly in the quarter-finals reduces India’s workload. The preliminary matches between Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal will also give India an opportunity to assess their eventual opponent before taking the field.

The Asian Games Cricket Schedule 2026 – Men’s and Women’s Matches provides the complete tournament fixture list for readers who want to track every team rather than only India.

India Cricket Schedule at Asian Games 2026 – Key Dates

For Indian fans, these are the dates worth remembering:

*Subject to qualification.

Can India Defend Both Asian Games Cricket Gold Medals?

India achieved a historic double at the previous Asian Games, winning gold in both men’s and women’s cricket.

A repeat is possible in Japan, but the knockout-heavy structure makes every India match significant.

For India Women, the campaign begins against the host nation on September 18. For India Men, attention will initially be on Group A because its runner-up becomes India’s quarter-final opponent on September 28.

From there, the equation is simple: keep winning and both Indian teams can reach their respective gold-medal matches.

The India cricket schedule at Asian Games 2026 is therefore short compared with a conventional international series, but every match carries medal-level consequences.

India Asian Games Cricket Schedule FAQs

When will India Men play their first match at Asian Games 2026?

India Men are scheduled to begin their Asian Games campaign on September 28, 2026, in the quarter-finals.

Who will India Men face in the quarter-final?

India will face the second-placed team from Group A, which contains Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal.

When is India Women vs Japan at Asian Games 2026?

India Women are scheduled to face Japan on September 18 at 10:30 AM IST.

When is the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final?

The men’s gold-medal match is scheduled for October 3, 2026.

When is the women’s cricket final?

The women’s gold-medal match is scheduled for September 22, 2026.

Is India vs Japan on September 22 part of the Asian Games?

No. The September 22 India Men vs Japan T20I at Sano International Cricket Ground is a separate international match before India’s Asian Games campaign.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rajani Kant

Cricket Writer & Editor at TeamStats.in

Rajani Kant is a cricket writer and editor at TeamStats.in, covering cricket statistics, team records, player performances, match results and important developments from international cricket. His focus is on presenting cricket information in a clear, useful and easy-to-understand format.

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