Cricket at the Asian Games 2026 is set to be played in the T20 format from September 17 to October 3 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi, Japan. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will feature, with India entering the tournament as defending champions after securing gold medals in both categories at the Hangzhou 2023 Games.

The women’s competition will run from September 17 to September 22, while the men’s tournament will begin on September 24, with the gold medal match scheduled for October 3. With India aiming to repeat their success, former India batter and tournament commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has backed both teams to perform strongly on the continental stage.

Manjrekar highlighted the combination of experienced campaigners and exciting young players in India’s squads, believing the teams have the quality required to defend their respective gold medals.

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“India has set the benchmark in Asian cricket over the years, and this squad has everything it takes to continue that legacy. With established stars alongside fearless young talent, the team has the depth and quality to defend its Asian Games gold medal,” Sanjay Manjrekar said in a SonyLIV press release.

He also pointed out that competing at the Asian Games presents a different challenge for the players, particularly with the responsibility of representing India at a major multi-sport event.

“Cricket at the Asian Games brings a different kind of challenge, and it will be fascinating to see how this group embraces the responsibility of maintaining India’s dominance on the continental stage,” he added.

The men’s side will be led by Shreyas Iyer, with Jasprit Bumrah providing experience alongside youngsters such as Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The latter two are set to make their first Asian Games appearances.

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Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur will captain a strong women’s squad featuring Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh. India’s women will begin their title defence against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals on September 18.

With both teams entering as defending champions, the Asian Games offer Indian cricket another opportunity to showcase its depth and compete for gold on the international multi-sport stage. Interestingly, India’s men’s and women’s teams are also the defending Asia Cup champions, adding another layer of expectation around their upcoming campaigns.