India vs Pakistan Asian Games 2026: When Is The Much-Awaited Rivalry Fixture? - ABP Live English
IND vs PAK Asian Games 2026: The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry could produce another high-stakes chapter at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. However, fans will not see the two sides meet in the early knockout rounds, with the official men's draw placing them on opposite sides of the bracket.
Both India and Pakistan have received direct entry into the men's quarter-finals. Pakistan will face the second-placed team from Group B in the first quarter-final on September 28, while India will take on the second-placed team from Group A later that day.
The separation continues beyond the quarter-finals. According to the official tournament bracket, Pakistan's quarter-final sits on one side of the draw, while India's quarter-final is on the other. Their respective routes therefore cannot produce an India-Pakistan semi-final.
The men's preliminary stage will be played from September 24 to 26, with Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A and Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman in Group B.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, joining India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who have direct entry into the last eight.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for September 28 and 29, followed by the semi-finals on October 1. The bronze medal match and final will be played on October 3.
With India and Pakistan on opposite sides of the bracket, the rivalry can only be renewed in one of the two medal matches. If both teams reach the final, they will meet for gold. If both lose their respective semi-finals, they could face each other in the bronze medal match.
India were initially announced with Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The original squad included Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy.
However, the squad has since changed. Harshit Rana was ruled out after suffering a rectus femoris strain during a match simulation on September 7, with Yash Thakur named as his replacement.
Varun Chakaravarthy has also been ruled out of the Asian Games because of a side strain. Vipraj Nigam was subsequently named as his replacement. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was initially part of the Asian Games squad, was also withdrawn after being moved into India's ODI plans against the West Indies.
India's latest 14-member Asian Games squad is led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. It includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam.
The women's competition follows a different format. There is no group stage, with all eight teams going directly into the quarter-finals.
India are in the fourth quarter-final against hosts Japan on September 18. The other quarter-finals are Bangladesh vs China and Pakistan vs Thailand on September 17, followed by Sri Lanka vs Malaysia on September 18.
The women's semi-finals will be played on September 20, while the bronze medal match and final are scheduled for September 22.
India and Pakistan therefore have a potential meeting in the women's medal stages too, but the exact fixture will depend on their respective knockout results.
For the men's tournament, however, the equation is clear. India and Pakistan cannot meet in the quarter-finals or semi-finals. If both survive their respective knockout paths, their next possible meeting at the Asian Games will come on October 3, with a gold medal or bronze medal at stake.
Due to being on opposite sides of the bracket, India and Pakistan cannot meet before the medal matches. Their first possible clash would be on October 3, for either the gold or bronze medal.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have secured direct entry into the men's quarter-finals at the Asian Games. They will be joined by teams from the preliminary stage.
Yes, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy were replaced due to injuries. Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam were named as replacements, and Nitish Kumar Reddy was also withdrawn.
The women's tournament has no group stage. All eight teams proceed directly to the quarter-finals, which are scheduled for September 17 and 18.
Prateek Thakur is a Copy Editor at ABP Live English, reporting on major sporting events while spotlighting the human stories of athletes that matter.
You can reach out to him at prateekt@abpnetwork.com.
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