Men’s Asian Games 2026 Squads: Full Team Lists and Captains
The Men’s Asian Games 2026 cricket tournament is set to take place in Japan from 24 September to 3 October 2026. Ten teams will compete in the men’s event, with India enterieng the tournament as the defending champions after winning gold at the 2022 Asian Games.
The squads are being announced ahead of the competition, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Nepal, Oman and Pakistan among the teams that have confirmed their players. Hong Kong, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are yet to announce their final squads.
Men’s Asian Games 2026 Squads
The tournament will feature a mixture of established international names and emerging players. Several teams have selected strong T20 squads as they look to compete for the Asian Games cricket gold medal.
Afghanistan Squad
Afghanistan have selected Darwish Rasooli as captain for their Asian Games campaign. The squad combines experienced players such as Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran with several younger talents.
Afghanistan: Darwish Rasooli (c), Abdullah Ahmadzai, Mohammad Akram, Ismat Alam, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Hassan Eisakhil, Mohammad Ishaq, Karim Janat, Faisal Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Imran Mir, Arab Gul Momand, Farmanullah Safi, Khalid Taniwal, Najibullah Zadran.
Afghanistan are aiming to improve on their previous Asian Games record after finishing with silver medals in three successive editions.
Bangladesh Squad
Litton Das will captain Bangladesh at the 2026 Asian Games. The squad includes several familiar international players, including Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam.
Bangladesh: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammed Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammed Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.
Bangladesh won the bronze medal at the previous edition and will hope to challenge for a higher finish in Japan.
Hong Kong Squad
Hong Kong’s squad is yet to be announced.
The team qualified for the men’s cricket competition through the qualifying pathway and will compete in the preliminary group stage.
India Squad
Defending champions India have named a strong squad led by Shreyas Iyer. The group contains a number of high-profile T20 players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India won the men’s cricket gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games and will attempt to defend that title in Japan.
Japan Squad
Hosts Japan will be led by Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, one of the country’s leading domestic run-scorers.
Japan: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi, Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore, Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.
Playing a major international tournament at home represents an important opportunity for Japanese cricket and its developing players.
Malaysia Squad
Malaysia’s squad has not yet been announced.
Malaysia qualified for the men’s tournament and will compete in the preliminary phase alongside Hong Kong and Oman.
Nepal Squad
Nepal have named experienced all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee as captain. The squad also includes notable names such as Sandeep Lamichhane, Rohit Paudel, Sompal Kami and Kushal Malla.
Nepal: Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Rohit Kumar Paudel, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Gulsan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Lokesh Bam, Sundeep Jora, Sher Malla, Kushal Malla.
Nepal will begin their campaign in the preliminary stage before the knockout rounds.
Oman Squad
Oman will be captained by Sufyan Mehmood at the Asian Games.
Oman: Sufyan Mehmood (c), Muzaffar Shiralkar, Mohammed Ali Al Balushi, Zubair Al Balushi, Shuaib Al Balushi, Nawed Al Balushi, Wasim Al Balushi, Ahmed Al Zadjali, Sameer Othman, Waheed Al Balushi, Faris Al Balushi, Mohammed Osman, Issa Rahim Al Balushi, Abdul Jalil, Qais Al Balushi.
Oman earned its place through the men’s Asian Games qualifying tournament and will compete in Group B.
Pakistan Squad
Pakistan have selected Sahibzada Farhan as captain, with Abdul Samad named vice-captain.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
Pakistan’s squad includes several emerging players, with Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood among those looking to strengthen their international credentials.
Sri Lanka Squad
Sri Lanka’s squad is yet to be announced.
Sri Lanka have automatically qualified for the men’s competition and will enter the tournament at the quarter-final stage.
Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket Format
The men’s competition features 10 teams and will be played across two stages. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal form Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman are in Group B.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have received byes into the quarter-finals because of their higher seeding.
The preliminary matches begin on 24 September, followed by the quarter-finals from 28 September. The semi-finals are scheduled for 1 October, with the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches taking place on 3 October.
Men’s Asian Games 2026 Cricket Teams
The ten teams competing in the men’s cricket event are:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Hong Kong
- India
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Nepal
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
With several squads already announced, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are among the teams expected to attract significant attention during the tournament.
Who Are the Favourites for Asian Games 2026 Cricket?
India will enter as the defending men’s champions, making them one of the leading contenders for another gold medal. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan also have experienced international players capable of making a deep run.
Afghanistan will be particularly determined to improve after winning silver in the previous three editions, while Bangladesh will look to build on their bronze-medal finish.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket: What Happens Next?
The remaining squads for Hong Kong, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are expected to be announced before the tournament begins. SportsHab will update this page as the final team lists become available.
The Men’s Asian Games 2026 will provide an important platform for established stars and emerging cricketers, while Japan will look to use the home tournament to further develop the sport’s profile in the country.
