The cricket draws for the men’s and women’s events at the Asian Games 2026 have been officially announced, with Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka securing direct qualification to the men’s knockout stage based on their international rankings.
The draw means the four highest-ranked teams will skip the opening round, while six other nations will compete for the remaining quarter-final places. The tournament will be played in the T20 format in Nagoya, Japan.
Pakistan, India among top seeds in men’s event
In the men’s competition, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman will contest the preliminary stage.
Group A features Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman have been placed in Group B.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, where they will face Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The men’s cricket tournament is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 1 in Nagoya.
Women’s quarter-final fixtures announced
The women’s cricket competition will begin on September 17, with the quarter-final matchups already confirmed.
India will face Japan, Bangladesh will take on China, Sri Lanka will meet Malaysia, while Pakistan will play Thailand for a place in the semi-finals.
The women’s tournament will conclude on September 22.
India enters as defending champion
India heads into the 2026 Asian Games as the defending champion after winning gold medals in both the men’s and women’s cricket events at the 2023 Asian Games.
Also Read : Gull Feroza’s 78 Powers Pakistan Women to Five-Wicket Win Over Sri Lanka
Today's E-Paper