Cricket is set to be one of the major attractions at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, with the schedules for both the men’s and women’s competitions now announced. India will enter the tournament as defending champions in both categories.All cricket matches will be played at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture, with the women’s tournament scheduled from September 17 to 22 and the men’s competition from September 24 to October 3.When Will India Men Begin Their Asian Games 2026 Campaign?The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian men’s team will begin its campaign directly in the quarter-finals on September 28. India are among the seeded teams and will face the second-placed side from Group A, which consists of Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal.The Indian men’s team will look to defend the gold medal it won at the previous Asian Games.When Will India Women Play Their First Match?The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s team will begin its campaign against hosts Japan on September 18 at 2:00 PM JST (10:30 AM IST). The women’s tournament follows a direct knockout format, with the winners progressing to the semi-finals.Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket GroupsTen teams will compete in the men’s tournament. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been seeded directly into the quarter-finals.Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, NepalGroup B: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, OmanSeeded Teams: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, BangladeshThe top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket ScheduleDateMatchTime (JST / IST)September 24Afghanistan vs Japan9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 24Hong Kong, China vs Malaysia2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 25Hong Kong, China vs Oman9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 25Afghanistan vs Nepal2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 26Japan vs Nepal9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 26Malaysia vs Oman2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 28Pakistan vs 2nd Group B9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 28India vs 2nd Group A2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 29Sri Lanka vs Winner Group A9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 29Bangladesh vs Winner Group B2:00 PM / 10:30 AMOctober 1Semi-final 19:00 AM / 5:30 AMOctober 1Semi-final 22:00 PM / 10:30 AMOctober 3Bronze Medal Match9:00 AM / 5:30 AMOctober 3Final2:00 PM / 10:30 AMAsian Games 2026 Women’s Cricket ScheduleDateMatchTime (JST / IST)September 17Bangladesh vs China9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 17Pakistan vs Thailand2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 18Sri Lanka vs Malaysia9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 18India vs Japan2:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 20Semi-final 19:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 20Semi-final 22:00 PM / 10:30 AMSeptember 22Bronze Medal Match9:00 AM / 5:30 AMSeptember 22Final2:00 PM / 10:30 AMAsian Games 2026: India Men’s SquadIndia Men’s squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.Asian Games 2026: India Women’s SquadIndia Women’s squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandani Sharma.