India and Pakistan Set for Asian Games Cricket Final

India and Pakistan will renew one of cricket's most closely followed rivalries when they meet in the men's Twenty20 final at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with the gold medal on the line.

The final will be played at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, on Saturday, October 3, with play scheduled to begin at 1:30pm local time, or 4:30am GMT.

India enter the match as the defending Asian Games champions after winning gold at Hangzhou 2023. Pakistan are seeking their first Asian Games gold medal in cricket after taking bronze at Guangzhou in 2010.

A victory would also give India a second cricket gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games after the Indian women's team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in their final.

Recent India-Pakistan meeting

The two sides last met in a T20 World Cup group-stage match in Colombo on February 15.

India won by 61 runs, with Ishan Kishan scoring 77 from 40 deliveries to help set up the victory.

Pakistan's most recent T20 international victory over India came on September 4, 2022, when they won by five wickets in an Asia Cup Super Four match. Mohammad Rizwan led Pakistan's chase with 71 runs.

How the teams reached the final

Both India and Pakistan were among the four seeded teams and entered the competition at the quarterfinal stage.

India's quarterfinal against Afghanistan was abandoned because of rain. Under the tournament rules, India advanced to the semifinals because of their higher seeding, based on the ICC T20I rankings.

They then produced a commanding semifinal performance against Sri Lanka, winning by 124 runs after dismissing their opponents for just 45 in 9.5 overs.

Pakistan also saw their quarterfinal against Hong Kong, China abandoned because of rain and progressed on the basis of their seeding.

They defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the semifinal, which was reduced to 13 overs because of a wet outfield.

India-Pakistan T20I record

The teams have met 17 times in T20 internationals.

India have won 13 matches, Pakistan have won three, and one match has ended in a tie.

What if rain washes out the final?

Rain has already affected several matches during the cricket competition in Aichi-Nagoya.

If the final cannot be completed because of rain, India and Pakistan will share the gold medal.

That would differ from the outcome at Hangzhou 2023, when India were awarded gold after their final against Afghanistan was abandoned, with the higher-ranked team receiving the medal.

Players to watch

India will have several players capable of influencing the final.

Teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 38 in the semifinal against Sri Lanka, hitting six fours and two sixes.

Ishan Kishan was even more prominent, finishing unbeaten on 80 from 46 balls. His innings included five sixes.

For Pakistan, left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Moqim was instrumental in the semifinal victory over Bangladesh, taking three wickets for 26 runs from three overs.

All-rounder Abdul Samad also made an impact, scoring an unbeaten 30 from only 15 deliveries, including five fours and a six.

India squad

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Pakistan 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 (wicketkeeper).

Asian Games cricket history

Cricket is appearing at the Asian Games for only the fourth time.

The sport made its Asian Games debut at Guangzhou in 2010, returned at Incheon in 2014 and was omitted from the Jakarta 2018 programme before returning at Hangzhou in 2023.

Previous medal winners include:

• Guangzhou 2010: Bangladesh gold, Afghanistan silver, Pakistan bronze
• Incheon 2014: Sri Lanka gold, Afghanistan silver, Bangladesh bronze
• Hangzhou 2023: India gold, Afghanistan silver, Bangladesh bronze

Asian Games medal tally

As of Friday at 7:30 GMT, India had won 71 medals at the Games, including 12 gold, 25 silver and 34 bronze.

Pakistan had won six medals, all bronze.

The final gives India an opportunity to retain their Asian Games cricket title, while Pakistan will be attempting to secure their first gold medal in the sport.