The Indian men’s cricket team gets direct entry into the quarterfinals of the Asian Games. Along with the Indian men’s team, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will also qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The draws and groups for the men’s and women’s cricket events at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya were announced on Thursday, 23rd July.
There will be 6 more teams (Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, and Oman) in the men’s event along with these four teams. They are divided into two different groups of 3 teams each. They will compete in the first round. The top 2 teams from both groups will join the big four. The Indian team will not directly play against Pakistan in either of the groups (men’s or women’s) because of different draws. They will only face them either in the semi-finals or the final.
The women’s tournament will feature 8 teams, so there will be direct quarterfinal matches. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Japan, Malaysia, China, and Thailand will feature in the women’s tournament. The Indian girls will start their campaign against hosts Japan. If they win they will play their next game against Bangladesh or China in the semi-finals.
Schedule & Venue for Asian Games Matches
Both tournaments will be played in the T20 format at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture. The women’s event will kick start from 17 September to 22 September. Meanwhile the men’s will play there games between 24 September to 1 October.
A Look Back at the 2023 Victory in China
In previous edition of Asian Games which was held in China in 2023, both the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured the gold medal for the nation. The final of the men’s event was washed out because of rain. India was awarded the gold medal for being the highest-seeded team in the tournament. Whereas in the women’s event, India defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.