Asian Games 2026 Schedule: Cricket Fixtures, Teams, Squads, Venues and Latest Controversy
The Asian Games 2026 schedule is now taking shape as Aichi-Nagoya prepares to host the 20th edition of the continental sporting festival in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
Cricket will be one of the major attractions, with the men’s tournament running from September 24 to October 3 and the women’s competition from September 17 to September 22. Both events will be played in the T20 format.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Schedule and Venue
The cricket competition will be staged at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, near Nagoya. The venue is being adapted for cricket after the sport was confirmed for the Games.
Women’s Cricket Schedule
| Date | Match |
|---|---|
| September 17 | Bangladesh vs China |
| September 17 | Pakistan vs Thailand |
| September 18 | Sri Lanka vs Malaysia |
| September 18 | India vs Japan |
| September 20 | Semi-finals |
| September 22 | Bronze Medal Match |
| September 22 | Final |
India will begin its women’s title defence against hosts Japan in the quarter-final stage.
Men’s Cricket Schedule
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| September 24 | Afghanistan vs Japan |
| September 24 | Hong Kong vs Malaysia |
| September 25 | Hong Kong vs Oman |
| September 25 | Afghanistan vs Nepal |
| September 26 | Japan vs Nepal |
| September 26 | Malaysia vs Oman |
| September 28 | Men’s Quarter-finals |
| September 29 | Men’s Quarter-finals |
| October 1 | Semi-finals |
| October 3 | Bronze Medal Match & Final |
The men’s competition features 10 teams. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are seeded directly into the quarter-finals, while six teams compete in the preliminary groups.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Team List
Men’s Teams
The 10 men’s cricket teams are:
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- Afghanistan
- Japan
- Nepal
- Hong Kong, China
- Malaysia
- Oman
The teams are divided into two preliminary groups, with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka receiving direct quarter-final places.
Women’s Teams
The women’s competition features eight teams:
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- China
India Squads for Asian Games 2026
India will defend both cricket gold medals after winning the men’s and women’s titles at Hangzhou 2023.
The men’s squad is led by Shreyas Iyer, while Harmanpreet Kaur captains the women’s side.
India Men’s Squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India Women’s Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G. Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandni Sharma.
Pakistan Squads
Pakistan have also announced their Asian Games squads.
The men’s side is led by Sahibzada Farhan, while Fatima Sana captains the women’s team.
Pakistan’s men’s squad includes players such as Saim Ayub, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Khan.
Asian Games 2026 Schedule Time Table
For Indian viewers, the men’s matches generally begin at 5:30 AM or 10:30 AM IST, while the women’s matches follow the same two daily time slots. The official Japanese schedule lists the matches at 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM Japan Standard Time.
For Pakistan viewers, Japan is four hours ahead, meaning the main cricket slots are generally 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM Pakistan Standard Time.
Who Won the Last Asian Games Cricket Gold?
India are the defending champions in both men’s and women’s cricket.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, India won the men’s and women’s gold medals, making them the team to beat again in 2026.
The 2026 tournament therefore gives India a chance to defend two Asian Games cricket titles.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Controversy
The biggest recent controversy concerns accommodation and facilities for cricket teams.
With more than 17,000 athletes and officials registered for the Games, organisers faced pressure over accommodation because the event will not have a traditional athletes’ village. Hotels, temporary accommodation and a cruise ship are being used instead.
There were also concerns from cricket boards about the facilities available to their teams. The latest development is that the Japan Cricket Association has confirmed participating cricket teams can arrange their own accommodation, giving teams greater flexibility.
This issue could remain a talking point as the cricket tournament approaches.
Why Asian Games 2026 Cricket Is Important
The 2026 edition is particularly significant because cricket’s T20 format continues to expand its presence in major multi-sport competitions.
It also comes at an important time for Asian cricket, with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all bringing competitive squads.
The India-Pakistan rivalry could become one of the tournament’s biggest attractions, although the men’s draw means the two sides can only meet in the gold-medal match or bronze-medal playoff.
Final Verdict
The Asian Games 2026 schedule promises a packed cricket tournament in Japan, with women’s cricket beginning on September 17 and men’s cricket following from September 24.
India enter as defending champions in both categories, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be among the teams capable of challenging for medals.
With a new cricket venue, young squads, the India-Pakistan rivalry and the recent accommodation controversy, Asian Games cricket 2026 could become one of the most closely watched cricket events in Japan’s sporting calendar.
