SRINAGAR: India and Pakistan will meet in the men’s cricket final of the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday after both sides won their respective semi-finals in Nisshin on Thursday.
India secured their place in the gold-medal match with a 124-run win over Sri Lanka. Batting first, India made 169 for seven, with Ishan Kishan remaining unbeaten on 80, before their bowlers dismissed Sri Lanka for 45 in 9.5 overs.
Pakistan had earlier defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the rain-shortened first semi-final. The match was reduced to 13 overs per side, with Bangladesh making 111 for seven before Pakistan completed the chase with four wickets remaining.
The final is scheduled for October 3 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin and will be the first meeting between India and Pakistan in an Asian Games men’s cricket final.
India entered the tournament as the defending men’s champions, having won the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The 2026 competition has been affected by rain, with the men’s quarter-finals abandoned and the four semi-finalists progressing according to the tournament’s ranking-based rules.
