India will face Afghanistan in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket quarterfinals, while Nepal will take on Sri Lanka after finishing first in Group A. India received direct entry into the last eight, whereas Nepal and Afghanistan came through the preliminary round. Here are the group results, quarterfinal timings and updated squads for all four teams.
When are India and Nepal playing their quarterfinals?
India’s match against Afghanistan is scheduled for September 28 at 10:30 AM IST. Nepal will meet Sri Lanka on September 29 at 5:30 AM IST. Both matches will take place at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.
| Quarterfinal | Date | Start time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| India vs Afghanistan | Monday, September 28, 2026 | 10:30 AM |
| Sri Lanka vs Nepal | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 5:30 AM |
Japan is three hours and 30 minutes ahead of India. The scheduled local start times are 2:00 PM for India’s quarterfinal and 9:00 AM for Nepal’s match.
Why did India qualify directly for the quarterfinals?
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh received first-round byes as the four seeded teams. This means they entered the quarterfinals without playing in the preliminary groups.
The other six teams competed in two groups of three. Afghanistan, Nepal and Japan formed Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman played in Group B. The top two teams from each group progressed to the last eight.
The draw paired India with the Group A runner-up and Sri Lanka with the Group A winner. Nepal’s first-place finish therefore sent it into a quarterfinal against Sri Lanka, leaving Afghanistan to face India.
How Nepal finished above Afghanistan in Group A
Nepal ended the preliminary round with three points from one win and one no-result. Afghanistan collected two points from a win and a defeat, while Japan finished with one point and was eliminated.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | No result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nepal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Afghanistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Japan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Nepal’s win over Afghanistan was the decisive result. The point from the abandoned Japan match then took Nepal clear at the top, so net run rate was not needed to separate the teams.
September 24: Afghanistan beat Japan by 48 runs
Afghanistan began with a successful defence of 129/6. Mohammad Akram made 34 from 29 balls, captain Darwish Rasooli added 29, and Mohammad Ishaq finished unbeaten on 25.
Japan were bowled out for 81 in 19.3 overs. Arab Gul Momand led Afghanistan’s attack with four wickets for eight runs, while Nangyal Kharoti took three for 19. The victory gave Afghanistan the two points that ultimately secured its quarterfinal place.
September 25: Nepal beat Afghanistan by five wickets
Nepal’s bowlers restricted Afghanistan to 102/7 before the batters completed the chase at 103/5 in 17.2 overs, with 16 balls remaining.
Kushal Bhurtel took four wickets for 21 runs and Lalit Rajbanshi claimed three for 13. Together, they accounted for all seven Afghan wickets. Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran scored 30 each for Afghanistan.
Nepal lost both openers cheaply, but Sundeep Jora’s 34 from 35 balls and Rohit Paudel’s 33 from 32 helped steady the chase. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 15 as Nepal completed a valuable five-wicket win.
September 26: Rain ends Nepal vs Japan without a result
Nepal reached 149/4 in its 15-over innings against Japan. Sundeep Jora remained unbeaten on 57 from 32 balls, while Lokesh Bam made an unbeaten 52 from just 22 deliveries.
Rain prevented a result, and both teams received one point. Nepal therefore finished with a win and a no-result, rather than two victories. Japan’s earlier defeat to Afghanistan left the hosts third in the group.
Asian Games 2026 cricket squads for the four teams
These are the tournament squads, not confirmed playing XIs. The teams will name their match lineups at the toss.
India squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam.
BCCI’s updated list contains 14 players. Yash Thakur replaced Harshit Rana, while Vipraj Nigam came in for Varun Chakaravarthy, who was ruled out with a side strain. Nitish Kumar Reddy was withdrawn from the Asian Games squad to play in the ODI series against West Indies.
Afghanistan squad
Darwish Rasooli (captain), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board selected its AfghanAbdalyan squad for the Games, combining developing players with experienced names such as Najibullah and Karim Janat. It is a different squad from Afghanistan’s regular senior T20 side.
Nepal squad
Dipendra Singh Airee (captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Rohit Paudel, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Sandeep Lamichhane, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi and Sher Malla.
Nepal enter the quarterfinal with contributions from several players. Bhurtel and Rajbanshi delivered the wickets against Afghanistan, while Jora made useful runs in both group matches and Bam added a quick half-century against Japan.
Sri Lanka squad
Sahan Arachchige (captain), Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sohan de Livera, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando and Garuka Sanketh.
Like India, Sri Lanka begin their tournament in the quarterfinals. Nepal will arrive having batted in both preliminary matches, while Sri Lanka’s first competitive test in this event will come against the Group A leaders.
What comes after the quarterfinals?
The winners will advance to the semifinals on October 1. The bronze-medal match and gold-medal final are scheduled for October 3.
A quarterfinal victory keeps a team in the medal race but does not guarantee a medal. The semifinal winners will contest the gold-medal match, while the losing semifinalists will have another chance in the bronze-medal playoff.
