Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Points Table With Net Run-Rate (NRR): AFG Leads Group A After Win Over JPN

Tournament Standings and Net Run-Rate

Teams are awarded two points for a victory and one point in the event of a tie, abandonment, or no-result. Net Run-Rate (NRR) serves as the primary tiebreaker should sides finish level on points at the conclusion of the preliminary stage.

Group A

Group B

(Table reflects standings following Afghanistan vs Japan on 24 September 2026. Match 2 between Hong Kong and Malaysia is in progress).

Opening Round Recap: Afghanistan Set the Early Pace

Afghanistan seized immediate control of Group A after defending a target of 130 against tournament hosts Japan. Batting first, the Afghans posted 129 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs before their bowling attack bundled Japan out for 81 in 19.3 overs.

The 48-run margin handed Afghanistan a commanding NRR of +2.400, putting significant qualification pressure on Japan ahead of their remaining preliminary fixture against Nepal. Sachin Tendulkar Congratulates India Women’s Cricket Team on Gold Medal Win in Asian Game 2026.

Format and Knockout Qualification Pathway

The men's event features 10 competing nations. The top four ranked ICC Full Members in the region — defending gold medallists India, along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh — received direct entry into the quarter-final round.

The remaining six sides were split into two pools of three:

• Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal

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• Group B: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Oman

The top two finishers from each group will advance to the knockout stage. The quarter-finals, scheduled to commence on 28 September, will see India take on the runners-up of Group A, while Pakistan meet the second-placed team from Group B. The semi-finals are scheduled for 1 October, leading up to the medal matches on 3 October.