The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may not send their top players to take part in the Asian Games 2026. The team was already announced, with Shreyas Iyer leading the side. The team also has players who played a role in India’s T20 World Cup win in March this year.
According to ANI, the Indian board may decide to send a second-string side considering the concerns about the facilities. The decision-makers are planning to send an observer to inspect the Korogi Sports Park in Aichi-Nogoya, where cricket matches are scheduled to be played.
One source, while speaking to the news agency, said, “BCCI and ACC aren’t happy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan and are about to send an observer. Once the report is submitted, and if the arrangement levels don’t come back satisfactory, then we could send a B side to take part in the tournament.”
The source also added: “We told the officials from Japan during the ACC meeting that the dressing rooms were small and it was set up in tents. The washroom was 500 meters away from where the tents were put up, and even the hotel rooms are small, which has caused massive concerns.”
Concerns flagged before the event
Indian Express on Thursday reported that not just BCCI but even the Pakistan Cricket Board is not happy with all the amenities. The ground in Korogi Sports Park was used for Baseball previously, and there are concerns about the wickets that are being prepared as well.
ASIAN GAMES 2026 – CRICKET
📍 Venue: Korogi Athletic Park, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Boundary Size: 60-65m
The venue will host both the men’s and women’s T20 cricket competitions. https://t.co/LAnxRuXATKpic.twitter.com/D51lOKKw96
— Mian Ahmad (@aHmADmIaN150) August 26, 2026
The newspaper quoted a source as saying, “It is a very rudimentary ground, and there remains a question mark over the quality of the pitch. It has been laid recently and hasn’t been tested much. There are no proper dressing rooms as well.”
BCCI got in touch with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), who directed the board to speak to the organizing committee. It was later reported that the IOA cited lack of awareness in the technicalities about the game, which is why they refrained from intervening in the matter. India’s men’s and women’s teams are the reigning gold medal holders. With the unsatisfactory conditions, the board may not want to risk their players getting injured ahead of key tournaments and campaigns ahead.
Indian Cricket Squads for Asian Games 2026
Men – Shreyas Iyer, Sanju SamsonAbhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun ChakrabortyRavi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Women – Harmanpreet KaurSmriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G. Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, and Nandni Sharma.