Cricket will return to the Asian Games in 2026 when the men's national side and the women's team of India look to defend their gold medals won in Hangzhou 2023.
Cricket will be played in T20 format at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. The women’s matches will take place between September 17 and 22 while the men’s event will be held from September 24 to October 3. All the matches are to take place at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture.
As defending champions in both categories, India will enter the competition as the holders of men's and women's gold medals in cricket, that they won at Asian Games that was hld at Hangzhou.
India's Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Schedule
The Indian men's team has qualified for the quarter-finals directly along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The campaign of the team led by Shreyas Iyer will commence on September 28 against the Group B runners-up.
| Date (2026) | Match / Round | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| September 28 | Quarter-final 2: India vs 2nd Place Group A (Afghanistan/Japan/Nepal) | 10:30 AM |
| October 1 | Semi-final 1 (If India qualifies) | 5:30 AM |
| October 1 | Semi-final 2 (Alternative slot) | 10:30 AM |
| October 3 | Bronze Medal Match | 5:30 AM |
| October 3 | Gold Medal Final | 10:30 AM |
The men's preliminary round will feature Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A, while Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman will contest Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
India Men's Squad
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India's Asian Games 2026 Women's Cricket Schedule
India's women's team will also enter directly at the quarter-final stage.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side will face hosts Japan on September 17 at Korogi Sports Park.
| Date (2026) | Match / Round | Time (IST) | Time (Local/JST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | Quarter-final 4: India vs Japan | 10:30 AM | 2:00 PM |
| September 20 | Semi-final 1 (If India qualifies) | 5:30 AM | 9:00 AM |
| September 20 | Semi-final 2 (Alternative slot) | 10:30 AM | 2:00 PM |
| September 22 | Bronze Medal Match | 5:30 AM | 9:00 AM |
| September 22 | Gold Medal Final | 10:30 AM | 2:00 PM |
India Women's Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G. Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandni Sharma were named in the Asian Games squad, with Shreyanka's selection subject to fitness clearance.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who was originally selected, has since been ruled out of the Asian Games after suffering a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing in The Hundred. The BCCI confirmed that she will miss both the Asian Games and Women's Asia Cup.
Pratika Rawal was named as Jemimah's replacement for the Asia Cup, although the BCCI has not separately announced a replacement for her in the Asian Games squad.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Venue
All cricket matches at the Aichi-Nagoya Games will be staged at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture.
India-Pakistan Final Could Be On The Cards
The potential meeting between India and Pakistan is one of the most discussed topics. The men’s tournament draw ensures that both teams play on different sides of the knockout section of the bracket and will not meet before either of the quarter or semi-finals.
However, if one or both teams reach the medal round, an encounter is possible at either the gold medal or the bronze medal match.
India made history in Hangzhou in 2023 with its first ever Asian Games gold medal in men's cricket and the women’s gold medal as well.
The men’s final against Afghanistan was decided based on the rain rule after a successful campaign, with wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Both teams are back as defending champions, thereby creating lots of expectations in Aichi-Nagoya.