The wait is over. The quarter-final line-up for the 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket competition is now confirmed, and India have found out their first knockout opponent.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian men’s cricket team will face Afghanistan in the second quarter-final on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan. The match is scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM IST.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had already secured direct entry into the quarter-finals because of their seeding in the tournament. The remaining four quarter-final spots were decided through the preliminary group stage involving Afghanistan, Nepal, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman.
Points to watch out
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan vs Hong Kong | September 28 | 5:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| India vs Afghanistan | September 28 | 10:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Sri Lanka vs Nepal | September 29 | 5:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Bangladesh vs Malaysia | September 29 | 10:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Semi-final 1 | October 1 | 5:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Semi-final 2 | October 1 | 10:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Bronze medal match | October 3 | 5:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
| Final | October 3 | 10:30 AM | Korogi Sports Park |
India vs Afghanistan in Asian Games quarter-final
India’s first match of the men’s cricket competition will be against Afghanistan. The contest will be played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Monday, September 28.
Afghanistan finished second in Group A after Nepal moved to the top of the table. The final Group A fixture between Nepal and hosts Japan was abandoned because of rain, which confirmed Nepal as the group winner and Afghanistan as the runner-up.
That result has set up an interesting quarter-final because India will now meet an Afghanistan side that has already played competitive cricket at the Games.
The Indian team, meanwhile, enters the tournament directly at the knockout stage. The side is led by Shreyas Iyer and includes several players with international T20 experience, including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
India are also the defending men’s Asian Games cricket champions, having won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Games in 2023. Their 2026 campaign therefore starts with a quarter-final rather than a group-stage fixture.
How the Asian Games men’s cricket format works
The men’s cricket competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games features 10 teams.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were the four seeded teams and received direct entry into the quarter-finals. The other six teams were divided into two groups.
Group A: Afghanistan, Nepal and Japan
Group B: Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman
The top two teams from each group advanced to the last eight. Afghanistan and Nepal progressed from Group A, while Malaysia and Hong Kong made it through from Group B.
The quarter-final bracket is therefore:
- Pakistan vs Hong Kong – September 28, 5:30 AM IST
- India vs Afghanistan – September 28, 10:30 AM IST
- Sri Lanka vs Nepal – September 29, 5:30 AM IST
- Bangladesh vs Malaysia – September 29, 10:30 AM IST
All four quarter-finals will be played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
India vs Afghanistan date, time and venue
For Indian cricket fans, the key details are simple.
Match: India vs Afghanistan, Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket quarter-final
Date: Monday, September 28, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM IST
Venue: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan
Stage: Second quarter-final
The venue is one of the new cricket facilities developed for the Asian Games. The cricket ground at Korogi Sports Park was also used during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier earlier this year, giving the facility an important international test before the Games.
The ground has also attracted attention because of its playing dimensions. The shortest boundary is around 65 metres, making it a different challenge from the smaller venue used during the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semi-final and final schedule
The quarter-finals will decide the four teams that move into the medal rounds.
Both semi-finals are scheduled for October 1. The first semi-final will begin at 5:30 AM IST, followed by the second semi-final at 10:30 AM IST.
The tournament will then conclude on October 3.
The bronze medal match is scheduled for 5:30 AM IST, while the gold medal final will begin at 10:30 AM IST.
So, if India progress from their quarter-final, they will have another knockout match on October 1 before potentially playing for a medal on October 3.
Where to watch India vs Afghanistan live in India?
Indian viewers will be able to follow the Asian Games 2026 cricket matches live on Sony Sports Network, while online streaming is available through SonyLIV.
SonyLIV is already carrying the men’s cricket competition, with individual Asian Games cricket matches listed on the platform.
The India-Afghanistan quarter-final is scheduled for the convenient Indian time of 10:30 AM, meaning fans won’t have to wake up extremely early for India’s opening match of the men’s tournament.
India’s gold medal defence begins
There is plenty at stake when India walk out against Afghanistan.
The Indian men’s team is entering the competition as the defending Asian Games champion, while the knockout format leaves little room for error. One defeat will end a team’s gold-medal hopes and send the winner into the semi-finals.
India’s women’s team have already delivered gold for the country at the 2026 Games, defeating Sri Lanka in the women’s T20 final at the same venue. That victory gave India their first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Now the attention turns to Shreyas Iyer and his team.
The Afghanistan challenge will be the first test, and cricket fans will be keeping a close eye on India’s team combination, the conditions at Nisshin and how the players adapt to the knockout pressure.
With the quarter-final bracket now confirmed, the road to the men’s cricket gold medal is clear.
India vs Afghanistan is on September 28 at 10:30 AM IST. Save the date and stay tuned with ROKOCRICKET for the latest Asian Games cricket news, live updates, results, schedules and all the major developments. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow ROKOCRICKET for more cricket stories.
