India and Pakistan reached the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semifinals after rain washed out both quarterfinals in Nisshin on September 28. Pakistan’s match against Hong Kong, China and India’s meeting with Afghanistan were abandoned without a toss. Both teams advanced under the tournament’s ranking-based rule and will learn their semifinal opponents after the remaining two quarterfinals.
Pakistan will play the first semifinal on October 1, while India will feature in the second. Sri Lanka face Nepal and Bangladesh meet Malaysia on September 29, with those matches completing the last-four line-up.
Pakistan advance after Hong Kong quarterfinal washout
The first quarterfinal at Korogi Sports Park could not begin because of rain. No toss took place, and Pakistan progressed ahead of Hong Kong, China on the strength of their higher ICC T20I ranking.
Sahibzada Farhan’s side had entered the quarterfinals directly as one of the four seeded teams. Hong Kong, China had come through Group B, where they finished second behind Malaysia.
The abandonment ended Hong Kong’s campaign without giving them a chance to challenge Pakistan on the field. Pakistan now await the team that advances from Bangladesh’s quarterfinal against Malaysia.
India qualify after Afghanistan match is abandoned
India’s second quarterfinal suffered the same outcome. Rain prevented a toss and any play, sending Shreyas Iyer’s team into the semifinals under the same qualification provision.
Afghanistan had reached the last eight as Group A runners-up. They beat Japan by 48 runs in their opening match but then lost to Nepal by five wickets, leaving them below Nepal in the group.
India will now face either Sri Lanka or Nepal. The washout means India’s first opportunity to play in this men’s Asian Games tournament will come in the semifinal.
Why did India and Pakistan go through without playing?
A ranking-based qualification rule applied to these abandoned quarterfinals. The ICC’s match commentary confirmed that India and Pakistan advanced because they were the better-ranked teams in their respective quarterfinals.
India are No. 1 in the ICC men’s T20I team rankings dated September 28, 2026, while Afghanistan are tenth. Pakistan are sixth and Hong Kong are 24th. These rankings provide context for the gap between the teams; the tournament’s qualification provision determines who advances.
Neither quarterfinal produced a victory by runs or wickets. The matches were abandoned, with India and Pakistan progressing through the competition’s fallback rule. That is different from a completed match decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which calculates revised targets in rain-affected games.
Asian Games 2026 cricket quarterfinal results and fixtures
Two quarterfinals have been abandoned, and two remain scheduled. The September 29 fixtures will decide which teams join India and Pakistan in the semifinals.
| Quarterfinal | Date (2026) | Match | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 September | Pakistan vs Hong Kong, China | Abandoned; Pakistan advanced |
| 2 | 28 September | India vs Afghanistan | Abandoned; India advanced |
| 3 | 29 September | Sri Lanka vs Nepal | Scheduled, 5:30 AM IST |
| 4 | 29 September | Bangladesh vs Malaysia | Scheduled, 10:00 AM IST |
Sri Lanka vs Nepal: Who will face India?
Sri Lanka and Nepal meet in the third quarterfinal on September 29. The team that advances will face India in the second semifinal on October 1.
Nepal reached this stage after beating Afghanistan and sharing the points with Japan following a washout. Against Afghanistan, Nepal chased 103 and finished on 103/5 in 17.2 overs. In their next game, they made 149/4 in 15 overs against Japan before rain prevented a result.
Sri Lanka received a direct place in the quarterfinals, so this will be their opening match of the tournament. Nepal, meanwhile, have already had batting time in both group fixtures.
Bangladesh vs Malaysia: Who will face Pakistan?
The fourth quarterfinal brings Bangladesh and Malaysia together on September 29. The qualifying team will meet Pakistan in the first semifinal.
Malaysia earned their place by beating Hong Kong, China by eight wickets and then sharing the points with Oman after that match was abandoned. Their completed group match saw them restrict Hong Kong to 81/9 before reaching 84/2 in 12 overs.
Bangladesh, like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, were seeded directly into the last eight. Malaysia’s group-stage win gives them a completed victory to build on as they prepare for that challenge.
Semifinal and medal-match schedule in IST
All remaining matches are scheduled at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The organiser lists morning starts at 9:00 AM in Japan and afternoon starts at 1:30 PM, which convert to 5:30 AM and 10:00 AM IST.
| Stage | Date (2026) | Match | Start time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First semifinal | 1 October | Pakistan vs Bangladesh or Malaysia | 5:30 AM |
| Second semifinal | 1 October | India vs Sri Lanka or Nepal | 10:00 AM |
| Bronze-medal match | 3 October | Losing semifinalists | 5:30 AM |
| Gold-medal final | 3 October | Winning semifinalists | 10:00 AM |
An India vs Pakistan final remains possible, but it is not confirmed. Both teams must first advance from their respective semifinals. Reaching the last four also does not guarantee a medal, because the losing semifinalists must contest the bronze-medal match.
The immediate focus is September 29, when Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malaysia will compete for the two remaining semifinal places.
Results and schedule checked at 10:35 AM IST on September 28, 2026. All times are IST; fixtures remain subject to official changes.
