Defending champions India have received their fixtures for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games cricket competition after the official draw was conducted on Thursday, 23 July in Nagoya. The Women in Blue will open their campaign against host nation Japan in the quarter-finals, while the men's team — seeded directly into the knockouts — must wait for qualifying results before learning their opponent.

Women's Draw: India vs Japan in the Last Eight

Harmanpreet Kaur's side, who claimed gold at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, will face Japan in the quarter-final round of the T20 tournament. A win would set up a semi-final against either Bangladesh or China, both placed in the same half of the bracket. The other quarter-final in this half pits Sri Lanka against Malaysia, while the opposite half sees Pakistan open against Thailand, with the winners meeting in the second semi-final.

Men's Draw: Top Seeds Await Qualifiers

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have all received direct entry into the men's quarter-finals by virtue of their seedings, bypassing the preliminary phase entirely. The remaining four quarter-final berths will emerge from a qualifying round involving six teams. Group A comprises Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Group B features Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two from each group advance to face the seeded nations, meaning India's men's quarter-final opponent remains unconfirmed.

Schedule and Venue

The women's cricket competition is scheduled from 17 to 22 September, followed by the men's tournament running from 24 September to 1 October. All matches will be played in the T20 format and will carry full international status at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.

India's Squads: Experienced Leaders, Young Talent

Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the women's side with Smriti Mandhana serving as deputy. On the men's side, Shreyas Iyer will lead the squad with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named in India's 15-member men's squad, underlining the selectors' confidence in emerging talent.

Cricket's Growing Olympic Footprint

Cricket returns to the Asian Games for the fourth time, following editions at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2023 — where India swept both gold medals. The Aichi-Nagoya edition also serves as a significant stepping stone, with cricket set to make its Olympic return at Los Angeles 2028, ending a 128-year absence from the Games. For Indian players, a strong showing here carries added weight in a sport reclaiming its global multi-event stature.