Our Bureau
Nagoya
Defending champions India, along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have secured direct entry into the quarter-finals of the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, following the official tournament draw announced on Thursday. The four teams earned seeded positions based on their ICC rankings, allowing them to bypass the preliminary stage of the competition.
The men’s T20 tournament, scheduled to begin on September 24, will feature 10 teams. Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman will compete in the preliminary round, with the top two teams from each of the two groups progressing to the quarter-finals. Group A comprises Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal, while Group B includes Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman. The four qualifiers will then join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the knockout stage.
India enter the tournament as the defending men’s champions after clinching the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. The format is expected to intensify competition from the quarter-final stage, with the continent’s highest-ranked teams entering the tournament fresh against sides that have already negotiated the preliminary round.
The women’s cricket competition will be held from September 17 to 22 and will begin directly with the quarter-finals. India will face hosts Japan in their opening match, while Bangladesh will take on China, Sri Lanka will meet Malaysia and Pakistan will play Thailand. All matches in both the men’s and women’s events will be played in the Twenty20 format.
