AICHI-NAGOYA, September 20 — The story of India’s Asian Games begins with a blank space on the medal table, and on Day Two it turns to a women’s cricket team carrying the country’s first real hope of filling it. India went through Day One of the 2026 Asian Games without a podium finish, heading into the Opening Ceremony still waiting for its first medal. By Sunday, the focus had narrowed to one match.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s women’s side reached the semifinal stage of the cricket competition, where it faced Bangladesh — the centrepiece of Day Two and, for India, one of the first genuine medal chances of these Games. Cricket is being played in both the men’s and women’s tournaments at Aichi-Nagoya, and India is fielding teams in both.
The women’s semifinal against Bangladesh comes with the usual apparatus of a major fixture: where to watch, live stream and TV channel details, start time and lineups.
A record on the way through
During India’s clash with Bangladesh, Smriti Mandhana broke another record, scaling another summit in the list of most runs in women’s T20Is. The milestone arrived in the middle of a knockout match, which is where such things tend to land — not in a quiet bilateral series but with a place in a final at stake. The men’s side, led by Shreyas Iyer, has its own story, and it is a less glamorous one.
Ahead of departure for Japan, the team encountered a last-minute kit-sizing snag, with updates coming from the BCCI and the Indian Olympic Association. The Board of Control for Cricket in India also arranged separate hotel accommodation for the men’s team at the Games, while the women’s team stays in the official Games facilities.
Selection has drawn scrutiny too. One report questions Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion for the 2026 Asian Games and the injury risk involved, raising concerns over workload management after his recent knee injury. Another line of coverage examines who will present the medals at the cricket competition, with attention on ACC president Mohsin Naqvi following the standoff between India and the ACC president at the Asia Cup.
What to watch next
India’s schedule across September and October is unusually congested, with multiple squads fielded across the Asian Games, a West Indies series, Australia A matches and the Irani Cup. India was also due to face Japan in a historic T20I at Sano, Japan, with preview coverage of the Japan cricket team, its key players, recent results and achievements. For those involved, the immediate question is simpler than the calendar.
India’s women have a semifinal against Bangladesh in hand and a medal within reach; the men, led by Iyer, are still assembling in Japan. The squads, schedule, scores and results for both tournaments will be updated as the Games progress.
