Cricket at Asian Games 2026: India Men's and Women's Cricket Draws Revealed for Aichi–Nagoya Event
The Asian Games 2026 cricket draws have been revealed, setting India's path to defend their titles in Aichi-Nagoya. The India women's team will face hosts Japan in the quarter-finals, while the men's team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, is seeded directly into the quarter-finals on September 28, awaiting their opponent from the preliminary rounds.
The road to gold for India's cricketing aspirations at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games has been laid out following the official draw conducted today in Japan. Both the Indian men's and women's teams, defending champions from the 2023 Hangzhou Games, have learned their initial pathways in the T20 tournaments, which promise thrilling encounters at the Kōrogi Athletic Park in Nisshin. Cricket at Asian Games 2026: Schedule, Format and All You Need to Know.
India Men's and Women's Draws
◤ 🏏 TEAM DRAW 🔥
クリケット ◢
本日、名古屋にてアジア競技大会「クリケット」のチームドローが実施され、男子のグループ組み合わせと女子のトーナメント組み合わせが決定しました！✨
世界で2番目に競技人口が多いメガスポーツ！… pic.twitter.com/u2ds4mJa81
— 第20回アジア競技大会(2026/愛知・名古屋) (@AsianGames_2026) July 23, 2026
India Women Set for Japan Challenge
The Indian women's cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will kick off their title defense directly in the quarter-final stage. Their first opponent will be host nation Japan. A victory in this knockout clash would see the 'Women in Blue' progress to a semi-final showdown against the winner of the quarter-final between Bangladesh and the People's Republic of China.
Women's Cricket Tournament Schedule:
Dates: September 17 - 22, 2026
Format: 8-team direct knockout tournament
Venue: Kōrogi Athletic Park, Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture
Asian Games 2026 Women's Cricket Quarter-final Draw:
India vs Japan
Bangladesh vs China
Sri Lanka vs Malaysia
Pakistan vs Thailand
The women's squad features a blend of experience and emerging talent, with Harmanpreet Kaur at the helm and Smriti Mandhana as her deputy. Notable inclusions from the partial squad details are Shree Charani, Bharti Fulmali, wicketkeepers Richa Ghosh and Gunalan Kamalini, Shreyanka Patil, and Arundhati Reddy.
India Men Seeded, Awaiting Opponent
The Indian men's cricket team, captained by Shreyas Iyer with Tilak Varma as vice-captain, has also secured a direct entry into the quarter-final stage, bypassing the preliminary rounds due to their seeding. They will face one of the four teams that successfully navigate the group stage qualifiers.
India's men's quarter-final match is scheduled for September 28, commencing at 9:00 AM Japan Standard Time (JST) at the Kōrogi Athletic Park in Nisshin. This translates to 5:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). India Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer to Lead, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Included.
Men's Cricket Tournament Schedule:
Dates: September 24 - October 3, 2026
Format: 10 teams (4 seeded direct to QF, 6 play preliminary groups)
Venue: Kōrogi Athletic Park, Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture
Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Preliminary Groups:
Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal
Group B: Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Oman
Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Quarter-final Draw (Seeded Teams):
- India vs TBD (Qualifier)
- Pakistan vs TBD (Qualifier)
- Sri Lanka vs TBD (Qualifier)
- Bangladesh vs TBD (Qualifier)
Young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named in the 15-member men's squad, indicating a focus on both immediate success and future talent.
All cricket matches at the Asian Games 2026 will be played in the T20 format at the Kōrogi Athletic Park. While the full match schedules, including exact dates and times for all knockout games, are yet to be released, and specific broadcasting partners for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in various regions are currently unavailable, cricket enthusiasts can anticipate a thrilling competition as India aims to defend both its men's and women's titles.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2026 08:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
