The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 begins in Japan on 24 September and runs until the gold and bronze medal matches on 3 October. Ten teams will compete in the T20 format at the Nisshin Cricket Ground near Nagoya.
India arrive as defending champions and receive a bye into the quarter-finals alongside Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Captain Shreyas Iyer leads a squad that includes Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
Asian Games 2026 men's cricket format
The tournament has two stages. The six lower-seeded teams play a preliminary group phase before the four qualifiers join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the quarter-finals.
Group A: Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal
Group B: Hong Kong, China; Malaysia and Oman
The top two teams from each group advance. India will face the Group A runner-up, while Pakistan meet the Group B runner-up. Sri Lanka play the Group A winner and Bangladesh face the Group B winner.
India's Asian Games 2026 men's cricket squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The squad offers multiple wicketkeeping options, left-handed batting depth, spin variety and a pace attack led by Bumrah. India's selection gives Iyer several combinations for a short knockout campaign in unfamiliar conditions.
Asian Games 2026 men's cricket schedule
Preliminary group stage
24 September: Japan vs Afghanistan; Hong Kong, China vs Malaysia
25 September: Afghanistan vs Nepal; Hong Kong, China vs Oman
26 September: Japan vs Nepal; Malaysia vs Oman
Quarter-finals
28 September: India vs Group A runner-up; Pakistan vs Group B runner-up
29 September: Sri Lanka vs Group A winner; Bangladesh vs Group B winner
Semi-finals and medal matches
1 October: Both semi-finals
3 October: Bronze-medal match and gold-medal final
India's route to the Asian Games gold medal
India need three knockout victories to retain the title: the quarter-final on 28 September, a semi-final on 1 October and the gold-medal match on 3 October. Their first opponent will be confirmed after the completion of Group A.
Afghanistan are the highest-ranked side in Group A, but hosts Japan and Nepal both have experience in Asian conditions. The compressed schedule means India will need to adapt immediately because there is no group match available to build rhythm before the quarter-final.
India return as defending champions
India won the previous men's Asian Games cricket title after the gold-medal match against Afghanistan was abandoned because of rain. India received gold through their higher tournament seeding.
The 2026 event gives India the opportunity to defend that title on the field. Afghanistan have collected three consecutive silver medals in men's Asian Games cricket, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India have each won one men's title.
Nisshin Cricket Ground and playing conditions
All matches are scheduled at the Nisshin Cricket Ground in Korogi Sports Park outside Nagoya. The venue uses a hybrid surface that has produced both bounce and turn, potentially keeping fast bowlers and spinners involved throughout the tournament.
Temporary seating has increased the ground's capacity to around 2,000 spectators. The Asian Games will also bring Full Member teams to the venue after it hosted an East Asia-Pacific qualifying event as preparation.
Players who could shape India's campaign
Iyer's experience will be important in a straight knockout environment. Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provide attacking options at the top, while Samson, Ishan and Tilak strengthen the middle order.
Bumrah, Arshdeep and Harshit give India contrasting pace options. Axar, Washington, Bishnoi and Vipraj offer different forms of spin for a surface expected to provide assistance as matches progress.
Schedule and squads checked against ICC tournament information on 24 September 2026. Fixtures may be affected by weather or tournament updates.