Asian Games 2026 Cricket schedule: No India vs Pakistan match

The schedule for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 cricket in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, has been revealed, with the defending champions, India, receiving direct entry into the quarter-finals in both the men’s and women’s T20 competitions. The Cricket will be played in the shortest format and will have full international status.

The women’s tournament will run between September 17 and September 22, while the men’s competition will take place from September 24 to October 01 at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.

Men's and Women's Cricket schedule for Asian Games 2026: Dates, venue and match timings

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have been seeded into the quarter-finals of the men’s competition based on their rankings, as the remaining four quarter-finals spots will be decided based on the preliminary stage featuring six teams being split into two groups.

Group A includes Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Group B will feature Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two sides from each of these two groups will qualify for the quarter-finals.

Given India and Pakistan are on opposite sides of the draw, the two rivals can meet only if they reach the semifinals or the final of the event. India will face off against the teams that qualify from the preliminary round in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, India’s women’s side will begin their defence against Japan in the quarter-finals. If the blue brigade earn the victory, they will face one of Bangladesh or China in the semifinals. India will try to retain the gold medal in both the men’s and women’s events at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Asian Games 2023 recap: How the last edition in Hangzhou played out

In the 2023 edition of the event, India faced Nepal in their first game and gained the victory by 23 runs as Yashasvi Jaiswal, while opening the batting, smashed a thrilling knock of 100 runs off 49 balls at a strike rate of 204.08, thanks to eight boundaries and seven sixes.

In their second clash of the tournament, India completed their 97-run chase by nine wickets against Bangladesh in the first semi-final. R Sai Kishore, in that contest, ended with figures of 3/12 in four overs while Washington Sundar ended with 2/15 in four overs.

In the final, the game was abandoned due to rain against Afghanistan.