The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Cricket is one of the marquee attractions once again, and this time both the men’s and women’s Twenty20 International tournaments will carry full international status recognised by the ICC.
Cricket is among the 43 sports played at the 2026 Asian Games, and India are the defending champions in both the men’s and women’s competitions after sweeping both golds at Hangzhou 2023. This will be the sport’s fourth appearance at the Games, following Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023.
Interestingly, cricket begins before the official Opening Ceremony. The women’s tournament is held first, from 17 to 22 September, followed by the men’s tournament from 24 September to 3 October.
The participating countries, groups and match-by-match fixtures below reflect the official announcement published by the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Organising Committee (AINAGOC) on 26 August 2026.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket: Key Details
All cricket at the Games will be played at a single venue — the Kōrogi Sports Park (Korogi Athletic Park), located in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will be played in the T20 International format.
All matchdays feature double-headers. The first match of the day starts at 9:00 local time (5:30 AM IST) and the second at 14:00 local time (10:30 AM IST). Note one exception: on the men’s knockout days (quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches) the second match starts at 13:30 local time, which is 10:00 AM IST, not 10:30 AM.
Asian Games 2026: Women’s Cricket Schedule
The women’s event is an eight-team, straight-knockout tournament that starts at the quarter-final stage. Per the official draw, India face hosts Japan in the quarter-finals on 18 September. The other ties are Sri Lanka vs Malaysia (18 September), Pakistan vs Thailand (17 September) and Bangladesh vs China (17 September). Under the bracket, India’s half also contains the Bangladesh–China winner, so a potential meeting with either sits in the same semi-final, while Pakistan/Thailand and Sri Lanka/Malaysia occupy the other half.
| Date | Match | Teams | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 17, Thursday | Quarter-final | Bangladesh vs China | 5:30 AM |
| September 17, Thursday | Quarter-final | Pakistan vs Thailand | 10:30 AM |
| September 18, Friday | Quarter-final | Sri Lanka vs Malaysia | 5:30 AM |
| September 18, Friday | Quarter-final | India vs Japan | 10:30 AM |
| September 20, Sunday | Semi-final 1 | Winner (Pak/Tha) vs Winner (SL/Mal) | 5:30 AM |
| September 20, Sunday | Semi-final 2 | Winner (Ban/Chn) vs Winner (Ind/Jpn) | 10:30 AM |
| September 22, Tuesday | Bronze medal match | — | 5:30 AM |
| September 22, Tuesday | Gold medal match (final) | — | 10:30 AM |
Asian Games 2026: Men’s Cricket Schedule
The men’s competition features 10 teams and takes place from 24 September to 3 October. The four top seeds — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — are seeded directly into the quarter-finals. The remaining four last-eight places are decided through a round-robin group stage played across three days (24–26 September), after which the quarter-finals are spread over two days (28 and 29 September).
India’s men’s team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, enters at the quarter-final stage on 28 September, where they will face the runner-up of Group A.
| Date | Match | Teams | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, Thursday | Group A | Afghanistan vs Japan | 5:30 AM |
| September 24, Thursday | Group B | Hong Kong China vs Malaysia | 10:30 AM |
| September 25, Friday | Group B | Hong Kong China vs Oman | 5:30 AM |
| September 25, Friday | Group A | Afghanistan vs Nepal | 10:30 AM |
| September 26, Saturday | Group A | Japan vs Nepal | 5:30 AM |
| September 26, Saturday | Group B | Malaysia vs Oman | 10:30 AM |
| September 28, Monday | Quarter-final | Pakistan vs runner-up Group B | 5:30 AM |
| September 28, Monday | Quarter-final | India vs runner-up Group A | 10:00 AM |
| September 29, Tuesday | Quarter-final | Sri Lanka vs winner Group A | 5:30 AM |
| September 29, Tuesday | Quarter-final | Bangladesh vs winner Group B | 10:00 AM |
| October 1, Thursday | Semi-final 1 | Winner (Pak QF) vs Winner (Ban QF) | 5:30 AM |
| October 1, Thursday | Semi-final 2 | Winner (Ind QF) vs Winner (SL QF) | 10:00 AM |
| October 3, Saturday | Bronze medal match | — | 5:30 AM |
| October 3, Saturday | Gold medal match (final) | — | 10:00 AM |
Men’s Teams and Groups
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have all qualified for the quarter-finals as top-four seeds. The other four last-eight places are decided through a preliminary group stage. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal have been placed in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman contest Group B. The top two teams from each group progress to the quarter-finals.
In the last eight, India meet the Group A runner-up, Pakistan meet the Group B runner-up, Sri Lanka meet the Group A winner, and Bangladesh meet the Group B winner.
| Group / Phase | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal |
| Group B | Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Oman |
| Seeded — direct QF entry | India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh |
Women’s Teams and Draw
The eight-team women’s field is confirmed. Host Japan and the four Asian ICC Full Members — Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — qualified automatically, with China, Malaysia and Thailand coming through the 2026 Asian Games Qualifier in Malaysia.
| Quarter-final | Match |
|---|---|
| QF (17 Sep, 5:30 AM IST) | Bangladesh vs China |
| QF (17 Sep, 10:30 AM IST) | Pakistan vs Thailand |
| QF (18 Sep, 5:30 AM IST) | Sri Lanka vs Malaysia |
| QF (18 Sep, 10:30 AM IST) | India vs Japan |
Men’s Cricket Squads — Asian Games 2026
Squad announcements are being rolled out by each board in the weeks before the Games. Confirmed squads are listed below; the remaining teams will be updated here as soon as they are officially named.
India Men’s Squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan Men’s Squad
Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
Notable omissions: regular captain Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan.
Afghanistan Men’s Squad
Darwish Rasooli (captain), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Bangladesh Men’s Squad
Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammed Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammed Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
Other Men’s Squads
- Sri Lanka — to be announced
- Japan (hosts) — squad announced; full list to be added
- Nepal — squad announced; full list to be added
- Oman — squad announced; full list to be added
- Hong Kong China — to be announced
- Malaysia — to be announced
Women’s Cricket Squads — Asian Games 2026
India Women’s Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Gunalan Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma.
Pakistan Women’s Squad
Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani.
Bangladesh Women’s Squad
Led by Nigar Sultana (captain), with Nahida Akter as vice-captain. Full list to be added.
Other Women’s Squads
- Sri Lanka — to be announced
- Japan (hosts) — to be announced
- Thailand — to be announced
- Malaysia — to be announced
- China — to be announced
Where to Watch Asian Games 2026 Cricket in India
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has secured exclusive broadcast rights for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Matches will be telecast across Sony Sports Network channels and streamed live on the Sony LIV platform.
Note: The competition schedule is subject to change in accordance with the competition procedures and broadcasting circumstances.
