Defending champions India have learned their path to defend their Asian Games cricket title. The official draw for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 competitions took place, with the women’s team starting against Japan. Meanwhile, the men’s team will join directly at the quarter-final stage against an undecided opponent.
The Women in Blue, gold medalists at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, will face Japan in the T20 tournament’s last-eight stage. A win would advance Harmanpreet Kaur’s team to a semifinal against either Bangladesh or China, both in the same bracket.
In other quarter-final matchups, Sri Lanka will play against Malaysia, and Pakistan will kick off their campaign against Thailand, with the winners progressing to the second semi-final.
Unlike the women’s draw, the men’s quarter-final opponents are still pending confirmation. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have secured direct entry into the knockout stage based on their seeding, skipping the preliminary phase.
The remaining four quarter-final spots will be decided through a qualifying round involving six teams. Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal are in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will move on to the quarter-finals to face the seeded nations.
The women’s cricket competition is set to run from September 17 to 22, followed by the men’s tournament from September 24 to October 1. All matches will be T20 format and hold full international status at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.
India will have experienced leadership in both competitions. Harmanpreet Kaur will continue as captain of the women’s team with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain, while Shreyas Iyer will lead the men’s team with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. Young batting talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been included in India’s 15-member men’s squad.
Cricket makes its fourth appearance at the Asian Games after Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2023, where India claimed both gold medals. This tournament precedes a significant moment for the sport, as cricket is set to return to the Olympics at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, ending a 128-year absence from the Olympic program.
