India will play Afghanistan in the men’s cricket quarter-final at the Asian Games 2026. The match is set for September 28 in Nisshin. The winner will move into the semi-finals.
The line-up was confirmed after Nepal’s game against Japan was washed out on Saturday. Nepal finished top of Pool A. Afghanistan took second place and also advanced.
Nepal batted first and scored 149 for 4 in 15 overs. They were struggling at 84 for 4 after 10 overs. Then Sundeep Jora and Lokesh Bam changed the innings. Jora stayed unbeaten on 57 off 32 balls. He hit five fours and three sixes. Bam was even more aggressive. He smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 22 balls. His innings included six sixes and one four. Earlier, Aasif Sheikh scored 21 off 15 balls. He and Jora added 55 runs for the second wicket.
Japan needed 150 runs from 15 overs. But rain returned after Nepal’s innings. Japan could not begin their chase. The match was abandoned. That result settled the group. Nepal topped Pool A, and Afghanistan moved on as the second-placed team.
India now turn their attention to the knockout stage. They will face Afghanistan on September 28 in Nisshin. A place in the semi-finals is on the line.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket Quarter-Finals Confirmed as Malaysia and Afghanistan Advance
Malaysia have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament. They topped Group B. Their match against Oman was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Rain caused the washout. Oman were knocked out of the competition.
This came after the first match of the day between Japan and Nepal was also affected by rain. That game saw 15 overs of play. Nepal batted and scored 149 for 4. Japan never got to bat. The match was abandoned. Nepal finished top of Group A. Afghanistan took second place.
In Group B, Malaysia and Hong Kong advanced. Malaysia beat Hong Kong in their first game. Oman lost to Hong Kong by 41 runs. That loss hurt Oman’s chances. With only two games per team in the group stage, one loss was enough to knock them out.
The quarter-final line-ups are now set. Afghanistan will play India. Hong Kong will face Pakistan. Both matches are on Monday. Malaysia will take on Bangladesh. Nepal will go up against Sri Lanka. Those two matches are on Tuesday.
The top-seeded teams had already qualified for the quarter-finals. They are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Now the group stage is complete. The knockout stage begins on Monday.
Asian Games Quarter-Final: India vs Afghanistan And Other Probable Playing XIs and Lineups
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh had already qualified directly for the quarter-finals. Only India and Bangladesh have named full-strength squads. India are the favourites to win gold. At the last Asian Games, India won gold under Ruturaj Gaikwad. They sent a second-string squad then, but other teams still could not match them.
Tilak Varma is Shreyas Iyer’s deputy. India’s squad includes Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Pakistan are led by Sahibzada Farhan. They are missing Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah.
The gold medal match is on Saturday, October 3. The bronze medal match is also on the same day, before the final. India and Pakistan can only meet in the bronze match or the gold match. They cannot meet in the semi-final.
India’s squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Pakistan’s squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, and Usman Khan.
Sri Lanka’s squad: Sahan Arachchige (captain), Ashen Bandara, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Tharindu Ratnayake, Dushan Hemantha, Sineth Jayawardena, Chamika Karunaratne, Garuka Sanketh, Wanuja Sahan, Nuwan Thushara, and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.
Bangladesh’s squad: Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammed Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, and Aliss Al Islam.
FAQs
Q. When will India play Afghanistan in the Asian Games quarter-final?
A. India will play Afghanistan on September 28.
Q. Where will India vs Afghanistan be played?
A. The match will be played in Nisshin.
Q. What is at stake in the quarter-final?
A. The winner will reach the semi-finals.
Q. Why did Afghanistan reach the quarter-finals?
A. Afghanistan finished second in Pool A.
Q. Which teams are the top seeds?
A. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are top seeds.
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