Asian Games Cricket 2026 Latest News: India Schedule, Squads, Teams & Medal Race
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Schedule, Teams and Tournament Updates
The Asian Games Cricket 2026 tournament is set to bring together some of Asia’s strongest men’s and women’s cricket teams in Japan, with India heading into the competition as defending gold medallists in both events.
Cricket will be played as part of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with the women’s competition beginning on September 17 and the men’s event starting on September 24. The medal matches will extend the cricket programme through October 3.
For India, the tournament carries particular significance.
The Indian women’s team will begin its title defence against hosts Japan on September 18, while the Indian men’s team has been seeded directly into the knockout stage and will play its quarter-final on September 28.
There have already been important squad developments as well. Jemimah Rodrigues has been replaced by Pratika Rawal in India’s women’s squad, while Yash Thakur has come in for the injured Harshit Rana in the men’s setup.
This Asian Games Cricket 2026 guide brings together the schedule, participating teams, groups, India squads, tournament format, important dates and latest developments. It will also be updated with results and knockout information as the competition progresses.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 – Quick Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Tournament | 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 |
| Host | Japan |
| Women’s Cricket | September 17–22, 2026 |
| Men’s Cricket | September 24–October 3, 2026 |
| Format | T20 |
| Men’s Teams | 10 |
| Women’s Teams | 8 |
| India Women’s First Match | vs Japan, September 18 |
| India Men’s First Match | Quarter-final, September 28 |
| Women’s Final | September 22 |
| Men’s Final | October 3 |
| Defending Men’s Champion | India |
| Defending Women’s Champion | India |
India won both cricket gold medals at the previous Asian Games and therefore arrive in Japan attempting a rare double title defence.
Why Asian Games Cricket 2026 Is Different
One of the most interesting features of the tournament is that the men’s and women’s competitions do not use exactly the same structure.
The women’s event begins directly with four knockout matches involving eight teams.
The men’s competition has a preliminary group stage for six teams, while four seeded teams — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — enter directly in the quarter-finals.
That gives the Indian men’s team a very short route to a medal.
Three victories — quarter-final, semi-final and final — would be enough to win gold.
It also increases the pressure. There is little room to recover from one poor T20 performance.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Teams
A total of 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams are included in the official cricket schedule.
Men’s Teams
Group A
- Afghanistan
- Japan
- Nepal
Group B
- Hong Kong, China
- Malaysia
- Oman
Seeded Teams
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
The top two teams from Group A and Group B will progress to the quarter-finals, where the four seeded sides are already waiting.
Women’s Teams
The women’s competition features:
- India
- Japan
- Bangladesh
- People’s Republic of China
- Sri Lanka
- Malaysia
- Pakistan
- Thailand
Unlike the men’s tournament, these teams begin with knockout fixtures rather than a conventional round-robin group stage.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Women’s Schedule
The women’s tournament begins on September 17.
All times below are in IST.
| Date | Match | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| September 17 | Bangladesh vs China | 5:30 AM |
| September 17 | Pakistan vs Thailand | 10:30 AM |
| September 18 | Sri Lanka vs Malaysia | 5:30 AM |
| September 18 | India vs Japan | 10:30 AM |
| September 20 | Semi-final 1 | 5:30 AM |
| September 20 | Semi-final 2 | 10:30 AM |
| September 22 | Bronze Medal Match | 5:30 AM |
| September 22 | Women’s Final | 10:30 AM |
The official local start times are 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM in Japan.
India Women vs Japan – A Straight Knockout Test
India Women do not have the luxury of a league-stage warm-up.
Their first match is against Japan on September 18, and it is already a knockout contest.
Win, and India move into the semi-final.
Lose, and their gold-medal defence is over.
That makes India vs Japan one of the most interesting early fixtures despite India entering as heavy favourites on paper.
The winner of India vs Japan will face the winner of Bangladesh vs China in the semi-final scheduled for September 20.
For India, that potentially creates a route of:
Japan → Semi-final → Gold-medal match
Three wins could successfully defend the title.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Men’s Schedule
The men’s competition begins on September 24 with Afghanistan taking on hosts Japan.
| Date | Match | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Afghanistan vs Japan | 5:30 AM |
| September 24 | Hong Kong, China vs Malaysia | 10:30 AM |
| September 25 | Hong Kong, China vs Oman | 5:30 AM |
| September 25 | Afghanistan vs Nepal | 10:30 AM |
| September 26 | Japan vs Nepal | 5:30 AM |
| September 26 | Malaysia vs Oman | 10:30 AM |
| September 28 | Pakistan vs Group B Runner-up | 5:30 AM |
| September 28 | India vs Group A Runner-up | 10:00 AM |
| September 29 | Sri Lanka vs Group A Winner | 5:30 AM |
| September 29 | Bangladesh vs Group B Winner | 10:00 AM |
| October 1 | Semi-final 1 | 5:30 AM |
| October 1 | Semi-final 2 | 10:00 AM |
| October 3 | Bronze Medal Match | 5:30 AM |
| October 3 | Men’s Final | 10:00 AM |
The official schedule lists the later knockout sessions at 1:30 PM Japan time, which converts to 10:00 AM IST.
Who Will India Men Face in the Quarter-Final?
India already know when they will play, but not yet their opponent.
Their quarter-final is scheduled for September 28 against the team that finishes second in Group A.
Group A contains:
Afghanistan
Japan
Nepal
That creates an interesting qualification battle.
Afghanistan will be expected to be highly competitive, while Japan have home conditions and Nepal have significant T20 experience.
India will therefore need to monitor the group closely before learning their first knockout opponent.
The winner of India’s quarter-final will advance to the second semi-final on October 1.
India Men’s Squad for Asian Games Cricket 2026
India have selected a strong squad for the men’s competition, with Shreyas Iyer leading the team.
The squad includes:
Shreyas Iyer (Captain)
Abhishek Sharma
Sanju Samson
Ishan Kishan
Shivam Dube
Tilak Varma
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Axar Patel
Washington Sundar
Varun Chakravarthy
Ravi Bishnoi
Jasprit Bumrah
Arshdeep Singh
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Yash Thakur
One significant late change involves Harshit Rana.
Rana has been ruled out because of a hamstring injury, with Yash Thakur named as his replacement.
That is an important update because older squad lists may still show Rana among India’s Asian Games players.
Why India’s Men’s Squad Looks Powerful
India have built a squad containing a mixture of international experience and aggressive T20 specialists.
The batting options alone include Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube.
There is also considerable flexibility.
Axar Patel and Washington Sundar offer batting depth alongside spin, while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi provide specialist spin options.
The pace attack contains Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, with Yash Thakur now joining after Rana’s injury.
Then there is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose inclusion adds one of India’s most exciting young batting talents to the squad.
The major challenge is not necessarily squad depth.
It is the tournament format.
India enter directly in a quarter-final, meaning one bad T20 could end their gold-medal defence immediately.
India Women’s Squad for Asian Games 2026
India’s women’s team will be captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana originally named vice-captain.
The updated squad includes:
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain)
Smriti Mandhana
Shafali Verma
Pratika Rawal
Deepti Sharma
Richa Ghosh
G. Kamalini
Bharti Fulmali
Sree Charani
Renuka Thakur
Kranti Gaud
Arundhati Reddy
Shreyanka Patil
Radha Yadav
Nandni Sharma
The BCCI’s original June squad included Jemimah Rodrigues.
That has now changed.
Pratika Rawal Replaces Jemimah Rodrigues
One of the biggest pre-tournament developments for India Women is the absence of Jemimah Rodrigues.
Jemimah has been ruled out through injury, and Pratika Rawal has been brought into India’s Asian Games squad as her replacement.
It changes India’s batting combination heading into the tournament.
Jemimah offers experience in high-pressure international matches and considerable flexibility through the middle order.
Pratika now receives an opportunity on a major multi-sport stage.
India still possess a formidable batting core with Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh, but Jemimah’s absence is a significant personnel change worth tracking before the September 18 quarter-final.
India Are Defending Both Asian Games Cricket Gold Medals
There is another reason India will receive so much attention in Japan.
They are not simply medal contenders.
They are defending champions in both men’s and women’s cricket.
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, India captured gold in both competitions. The Indian women’s team therefore enters Aichi-Nagoya attempting to defend its title, something the BCCI specifically highlighted when announcing the squad.
That creates a simple but ambitious target for 2026:
Two teams. Two title defences. Two possible gold medals.
The short knockout format, however, means reputation offers very little protection.
Teams to Watch in Men’s Asian Games Cricket 2026
India will attract much of the attention, but the men’s competition contains several dangerous opponents.
Afghanistan possess the potential to make a major impact in T20 cricket and will first need to navigate Group A.
Pakistan enter directly into the quarter-finals as one of the seeded teams.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh receive the same advantage.
Nepal are another team capable of making the group stage interesting, while Japan have the opportunity to compete on home soil.
The qualification system could also create very different quarter-final matchups depending on who tops each preliminary group.
Teams to Watch in Women’s Asian Games Cricket 2026
The women’s tournament is even less forgiving because every fixture is effectively a knockout.
India begin against Japan.
Pakistan face Thailand.
Sri Lanka take on Malaysia.
Bangladesh meet China.
The expected favourites may appear obvious on paper, but there is no group-stage safety net.
A single upset immediately changes the medal picture.
If India beat Japan, they will meet either Bangladesh or China in the semi-final.
On the other side of the bracket, the winners of Pakistan vs Thailand and Sri Lanka vs Malaysia will meet for a place in the final.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Format Explained
The men’s tournament has two stages.
Men’s Group Stage
Six teams are split across two groups of three.
Each team plays the other two teams in its group.
The top two from each group qualify for the quarter-finals.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are already seeded into the knockout stage.
Men’s Knockout Stage
Eight teams contest four quarter-finals.
The four winners progress to the semi-finals.
The semi-final winners contest the gold-medal match, while the losing semi-finalists play for bronze.
Women’s Format
The women’s competition is much simpler.
Eight teams enter the knockout bracket.
Quarter-finals → Semi-finals → Medal matches.
Every match therefore carries immediate elimination consequences.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Results
This section will be updated as matches are completed.
| Date | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 17 | Bangladesh vs China | Upcoming |
| Sep 17 | Pakistan vs Thailand | Upcoming |
| Sep 18 | Sri Lanka vs Malaysia | Upcoming |
| Sep 18 | India vs Japan | Upcoming |
| Sep 20 | Women’s Semi-final 1 | TBD |
| Sep 20 | Women’s Semi-final 2 | TBD |
| Sep 22 | Women’s Bronze Medal Match | TBD |
| Sep 22 | Women’s Final | TBD |
| Sep 24 onwards | Men’s Competition | Upcoming |
Last updated: September 10, 2026
As the tournament progresses, this section can be updated with winners, margins and qualification status rather than creating a new general-results article after every match.
Key Dates Every Cricket Fan Should Know
There are six dates that stand out immediately.
September 17 – Women’s cricket begins.
September 18 – India Women vs Japan.
September 22 – Women’s gold-medal match.
September 24 – Men’s cricket begins.
September 28 – India Men’s quarter-final.
October 3 – Men’s gold-medal match.
For Indian fans, September 18 and September 28 are particularly important because they mark the beginning of the two title defences.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Latest Updates
The tournament has already produced several developments before the first ball.
The official participating teams and matchups were confirmed by the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee on August 26.
India Women have been forced into a squad change, with Pratika Rawal replacing the injured Jemimah Rodrigues.
India Men have also made a late change. Harshit Rana has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and Yash Thakur has replaced him.
India’s women’s team begins against Japan on September 18, while the men’s team waits until September 28 because of its direct quarter-final entry.
These developments will continue to change as the competition approaches, making the squad and results sections of this page particularly important to keep updated.
What Makes Cricket at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Worth Watching?
Asian Games cricket creates a very different environment from a bilateral series or conventional ICC tournament.
There is almost no margin for error.
India Women could be eliminated in their first match despite entering as defending champions.
India Men face the same risk when they enter the quarter-finals.
That creates pressure from the first ball.
There is also a broader story.
Japan are competing on home soil, while teams such as Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Oman get the opportunity to compete alongside some of Asia’s biggest cricket nations on a major multi-sport stage.
For developing cricket countries, that exposure matters.
For established teams, only medals matter.
Can India Defend Both Gold Medals?
India will enter both competitions among the leading contenders.
The women’s side has a strong core built around Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.
The men’s squad combines established international players with explosive younger talent.
But T20 knockout cricket can punish even the strongest team.
Three excellent matches could deliver another gold medal.
One poor match could end the campaign.
That is what makes India’s double title defence one of the most compelling stories of Asian Games Cricket 2026.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 – What Happens Next?
The immediate focus turns to women’s cricket.
Bangladesh vs China will open the cricket programme on September 17, followed later that day by Pakistan vs Thailand.
On September 18, Sri Lanka face Malaysia before defending champions India begin their campaign against hosts Japan.
The women’s medals will be decided by September 22.
Attention will then shift to the men’s tournament, where Afghanistan vs Japan opens the group stage on September 24.
India enter four days later.
From that point, every match could have direct medal implications.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Asian Games Cricket 2026 start?
The women’s cricket competition starts on September 17, 2026, while the men’s tournament begins on September 24.
Where is Asian Games Cricket 2026 being held?
The Asian Games are being hosted in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with cricket taking place as part of the Games’ official sports programme.
When is India Women’s first Asian Games cricket match?
India Women face Japan on September 18 at 10:30 AM IST.
When will India Men play their first match?
India Men enter directly in the quarter-finals and play on September 28 against the second-placed team from Group A.
Who is India’s men’s captain at the Asian Games 2026?
Shreyas Iyer is leading India’s men’s Asian Games squad.
Who is India’s women’s captain?
Harmanpreet Kaur is captaining India Women.
Is Jemimah Rodrigues playing at Asian Games 2026?
No. Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out through injury and Pratika Rawal has replaced her in India’s squad.
Is Harshit Rana in India’s Asian Games squad?
Harshit Rana was originally selected but has since been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Yash Thakur has been named as his replacement.
When is the women’s cricket final?
The women’s gold-medal match is scheduled for September 22.
When is the men’s Asian Games cricket final?
The men’s gold-medal match is scheduled for October 3, 2026.
Final Word
Asian Games Cricket 2026 has all the ingredients for an unusually intense T20 tournament: short knockout paths, defending champions, developing cricket nations, major stars and two gold medals at stake.
India arrive in Japan defending both titles, but neither team has much room for error.
India Women begin their campaign against Japan on September 18.
India Men enter directly in the quarter-finals on September 28.
Between those two dates, the shape of the entire cricket competition will begin to emerge.
This page will continue to track the Asian Games Cricket 2026 schedule, teams, squads, results and latest updates as the tournament progresses.
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