India Gets Direct Quarter-Final Entry in 2026 Asian Games Cricket

The schedule for the cricket events at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, has been announced, with defending champions India receiving direct entry into the quarter-finals in both the men's and women's T20 tournaments. Cricket will be played in the T20 format and will have full international status. The women's competition will run from September 17 to 22, while the men's tournament will take place from September 24 to October 1 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all been seeded into the men's quarter-finals based on their rankings. The remaining four quarter-final spots will be decided through a preliminary stage featuring six teams split into two groups. Group A includes Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal, while Group B features Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. Since India and Pakistan are on opposite sides of the draw, the two rivals can only meet if both reach the semi-finals or the final. India will face one of the teams that qualify from the preliminary round in the quarter-finals.

Women's team to begin against Japan

India's women's team will start its title defence against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals. If India win, they will face either Bangladesh or China in the semi-finals. The other quarter-final matches will see Sri Lanka take on Malaysia, while Pakistan will play Thailand. India will be aiming to retain the gold medals won in both the men's and women's competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.