Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket quarterfinal schedule: Full fixtures, dates, venues, timing in IST – All you need to know
The men’s cricket quarterfinal fixtures at the Asian Games 2026 became clearer on Saturday after the group encounters concluded at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. Two matches were scheduled for September 26, with both the games being washed out due to rain. While Nepal were slated to play hosts Japan, Malaysia were scheduled to play Oman.
With the group stage done and dusted, Nepal and Afghanistan qualified for the quarterfinals as the first and second-placed teams from Group A. Malaysia and Oman took the top two spots in Group B to enter the last eight stage. Defending champions India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were directly placed in the quarterfinals due to their ICC T20I Rankings.
For India, the Shreyas Iyer’s men will take on Afghanistan on September 28. In fact, India recently whitewashed Afghanistan 3-0 in a T20I series earlier this month in New Delhi. India’s arch-rivals Pakistan, will take on Hong Kong on the same day in another quarterfinal.
On September 29, Nepal will take on Sri Lanka while Malaysia face Bangladesh in the rest of the two quarterfinals. If India win against Afghanistan, the Men in Blue will take on either Nepal or Sri Lanka.
Out of the four direct quarterfinalists, India had the opportunity to play in Japanese conditions when the Iyer & Co. faced Japan in a first-ever T20I between the two nations. In a match that was reduced to five-overs per side due to inclement weather, India pipped Japan by two runs.
Will there be a India vs Pakistan in Japan?
There is a possibility of an India vs Pakistan clash at the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition, but only if both the teams qualify to the final. If Pakistan win against Hong Kong, the Men in Green will then take on either Bangladesh or Malaysia in the last four stage.
There was a possibility of an India vs Pakistan in the women’s cricket competition, but the Women in Green exited in the semifinals. Indian women defeated Sri Lanka in the final by 100-plus runs to defend their gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
The semifinals of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition will take place on October 1, with the gold medal match and bronze medal match scheduled for two days later.
