Asian Games 2026: The knockout campaign of the Asian Games 2026 is about to begin for the Indian Cricket Team. India, led by Shreyas Iyer, will enter the quarter-finals directly in the competition organized in Aichi-Nagoya. Their opponent in the second quarter final is Afghanistan (India vs Afghanistan). However, the rain in the tournament has already increased the worries of the fans. As a result, the question arises, if the India-Afghanistan match is canceled due to rain, which team will make it to the semi-finals?
India directly into the quarter finals
India directly qualified for the quarter-finals of the men’s cricket at the Asian Games. On the other hand, despite defeating Japan in the group stage, Afghanistan lost to Nepal by five wickets. Afghanistan eventually booked their ticket to the quarter-finals as the match between Nepal and Japan was abandoned due to rain. Japan’s Asian Games campaign ended there, however.
Quarter finals from September 28
The men’s cricket quarter-finals will begin on September 28. Hong Kong will face Pakistan in the first match. India will play Afghanistan in the second quarter-final on the same day. On September 29, Sri Lanka-Nepal will meet in the third quarter-final and Bangladesh-Malaysia in the fourth match. As per the rules, the winners of the four quarter-finals will advance to the semi-finals.
What are the rules if the match is canceled in the rain?
There are also specific rules on what happens if a quarter-final match cannot be held due to rain or any other reason. In such circumstances, the semi-final teams will be decided by considering the ICC rankings as per Asian Games rules. This means that this rule can become important for teams that enter the quarter-finals directly, as their ICC rankings are usually better than their opponents from the group stage.
If the India-Afghanistan match fails?
If the India-Afghanistan quarter-final is completely canceled due to rain, India will advance to the semi-finals based on the ranking. India is currently at the top of the ICC T20I rankings, while Afghanistan is at number 10. As a result, if there is no match, India will get the advantage of better ranking. The same rule applies to the semi-finals—if the match is abandoned, the top-ranked team will qualify for the final.
Where, when India-Afghanistan match?
The India-Afghanistan second quarter-final will be played on September 28 at the Korogi Sports Park in Japan. The match is scheduled to start at 10 am IST. The toss will be half an hour before that, ie at 9:30 am. The match will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network. Live streaming can also be seen on the SonyLIV app. DD Sports will also have the opportunity to watch the match on television.
India’s semi-final under the eye of the rain
Cricket matches at the Asian Games have already seen the impact of rain. India-Afghanistan match has also raised concerns as two matches in one day were abandoned due to rain. However, if the match is played on the field, the result will be determined based on the performance. If no further play is possible, the ICC ranking rules will allow India to advance to the semi-finals. All eyes are now on the weather on September 28 and the pitch at Korogi Sports Park.