Reigning Champions India Get Direct Entry Into Asian Games 2026 Cricket Knockouts

The men's cricket team of India has secured direct entry into the knockout stage of the 2026 Asian Games. Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also sealed direct qualification for the knockout stage of the 2026 Asian Games.

While Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman will compete in the preliminary round for the remaining spots. The draws and groups for both the men's and women's cricket tournaments were announced on Thursday. The men's competition will feature 10 teams, while the women's event will see eight sides battle for the title, as per ESPNcricinfo.

The women's tournament will start with the quarter-final fixtures: India vs Japan, Bangladesh vs China, Sri Lanka vs Malaysia and Pakistan vs Thailand.

The competition will run from September 17 to 22. The men's edition - from September 24 to October 1 - will have Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A and Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman in Group B in the opening round.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, where they will join the four teams that have already secured direct qualification. All matches will be played in Nagoya, Japan, and in the T20 format.

India had clinched gold medals in both the men's and women's cricket events at the 2023 Asian Games. The men's final was abandoned due to rain after Afghanistan managed to play 18.2 overs, with India awarded the gold medal as the higher-seeded team.

In the women's competition, India defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final to secure the top honour.