Cricket to begin from SEP 17 in Asian Games 2026; Will we see India vs Pakistan clash?

The schedule for the cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, has been officially released. Running from September 17 to October 4, the tournament marks cricket's fourth appearance at the quadrennial games. All matches will feature the T20 format with full international status. Both the Indian men's and women's teams enter the competition as defending champions after securing gold medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.

In the men's event, top-seeded nations India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have qualified directly for the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, six lower-ranked teams—divided into Group A (Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal) and Group B (Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Oman)—will contest the preliminary stage to secure the remaining four quarter-final berths. Due to the tournament draw structure, an India-Pakistan encounter can occur only once during the event, specifically in either the semi-finals or the final.

For the women's competition, Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the Indian squad alongside vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, starting their campaign against Japan in the quarter-finals. The winning side will advance to a semi-final clash against either Bangladesh or China. On the men's side, Shreyas Iyer will lead the team with Tilak Varma as vice-captain, featuring young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the 15-member squad.