Nagoya: Defending champions India learned their route to another Asian Games cricket title after the official draw for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 competitions was conducted on Thursday, with the women’s team set to open their campaign against host nation Japan, while the men’s side will enter directly at the quarter-final stage against a yet-to-be-decided opponent.
The Women in Blue, who claimed gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, will face Japan in the last-eight stage of the T20 tournament. A victory would send Harmanpreet Kaur’s side into a semifinal against either Bangladesh or China, both of whom have also been drawn in the same half of the bracket.
The remaining quarter-final ties will see Sri Lanka meet Malaysia, while Pakistan will begin their campaign against Thailand, with the winners advancing to the second semi-final.
Unlike the women’s draw, the men’s quarter-final opponents are yet to be confirmed. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all received direct entry into the knockout stage based on their seeding, allowing them to bypass the preliminary phase.
The remaining four quarter-final places will be determined through a qualifying round featuring six teams. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal have been placed in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman will contest Group B. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals, where they will take on the seeded nations.
The women’s cricket competition is scheduled to run from September 17 to 22, followed by the men’s tournament from September 24 to October 1. All matches will be played in the T20 format and will carry full international status at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.
India will field experienced leadership in both competitions. Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to captain the women’s side with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy, while Shreyas Iyer will lead the men’s team alongside vice-captain Tilak Varma. Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named in India’s 15-member men’s squad.
Cricket returns to the Asian Games for the fourth time after previous appearances at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023, where India swept both gold medals. The tournament also comes ahead of another significant milestone for the sport, with cricket set to make its Olympic return at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, ending a 128-year absence from the Olympic programme.
(IANS)
