The picture of the semi-finals in the cricket tournament of 2026 Asian Games has become clear. The special thing is that India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have not played a single match in the tournament so far, yet all four teams have made it to the semi-finals.
At the same time, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Nepal had reached the quarterfinals by playing matches in the group stage. However, due to the cancellation of the quarterfinal matches due to rain, these teams did not get a chance to prove their claim on the field to reach the semi-finals.
Direct entry into quarterfinals through seeding system
Before the start of the tournament, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were given direct entry into the quarterfinals under the seeding system. All the quarterfinal matches could not be played due to rain. In such a situation, on the basis of better ranking, these four teams got entry into the semi-finals.
Now Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the semi-finals, while India and Sri Lanka will face each other in the second match.
Both semi-finals will be held on October 1
Both the semi-final matches of Asian Games Cricket will be played on 1 October.
First semi-final: Pakistan vs Bangladesh — October 1, 5:30 am (IST)
Second Semifinal: India vs Sri Lanka — October 1, 10:00 am (IST)
In this way, the Indian team will directly take the field against Sri Lanka in the semi-finals. There will be a battle between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the first semi-final to get the ticket to the final.
Questions raised on tournament rules due to rain
The Asian Games cricket tournament has also been in the news due to rain. Many matches were affected during the group stage and after this all four quarterfinal matches were also canceled due to rain.
After the quarterfinal matches could not be held, the rule of sending better ranked teams to the next round was used. On this basis, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh reached the semi-finals.
Let us tell you that even in the 2022 Asian Games, the final match could not be held due to rain. At that time, the Indian women’s cricket team was given the gold medal on the basis of better ranking.