Explainer: When was cricket included in the Asian Games for the first time? Know how teams are selected and when they got recognition from ICC

Asian Games: The 20th edition of the Asian Games will start from September 19 and will be played till October 4. This time the Asian Games will be held in Aichi province of Japan and its capital Nagoya. However, some competitions like cricket etc. will start on 10 September 2026, before the main opening ceremony. The thrill of cricket in the Asian Games fascinates the fans, but do you know when cricket started in the Asian Games and on what basis the teams are selected for it? Not only this, when did cricket receive ICC recognition in the Asian Games? So let us know everything in this article.

When did cricket join the Asian Games?

Cricket was included in the Asian Games for the first time in 2010. Then it was organized in Guangzhou city of China. Since then, cricket events have taken place in a total of 4 Asian Games editions, in which both men’s and women’s teams have participated. However, cricket was not included in the 2018 Asian Games played in Jakarta (Indonesia).

When was cricket played in the Asian Games?

2010: Guangzhou, China (cricket debut)
2014: Incheon, South Korea
2023 (2022 session): Hangzhou, China (Moved to 2023 due to COVID)

2026 – 2026: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan

When did cricket get recognition from ICC in Asian Games?

Cricket played in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the Asian Games was not officially recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). For the first time, the ICC officially gave the status of T20 International to the cricket matches in the Asian Games played in Hangzhou 2023, after which the records of the players playing in the Asian Games started being added to their official international career.

When did the Indian cricket team participate in the Asian Games for the first time?

The Indian cricket team did not participate in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the Asian Games. India sent its cricket team for the first time to the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams participated and won gold medals in their respective categories, with Ruturaj Gaikwad captaining the men’s team and Harmanpreet Kaur captaining the women’s team.

How are the teams selected for the Asian Games?

A total of 18 teams are participating in the Asian Games 2026 cricket tournament, which includes 10 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams. The host country gets direct entry into the Asian Games. Whereas the remaining teams are selected through ICC T20I rankings and qualifiers. The top ICC T20 ranking and Full Member teams such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the tournament. This time in the men’s cricket tournament in 2026, a total of 6 countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan (5 full members of ICC) and host Japan have made direct entry into the tournament. Whereas in the women’s event, a total of 5 teams including 4 full member teams and the host have got direct entry. Being hosts, Japan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have qualified directly.

The remaining teams are selected through the qualification round. Associate and other Asian countries have to play qualifier tournaments to be included in the main draw of the Asian Games. From there, the top teams qualify for the main event. This time, the remaining 4 teams in the men’s category (Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman) have made their place in the tournament by winning the qualifier matches held in May-June 2026.

How are the matches played in the Asian Games?

The draw and seeding of the main matches of the teams in the Asian Games are decided on the basis of ICC T20 rankings. Now the question in the minds of the fans will be that what is this seeding? So, let us tell you that the higher the team is in the ICC T20 rankings, the better it is considered as ‘Top Seed’. India is currently the number-1 team in the ICC T20 rankings, so it will be ‘Seed 1’. Whereas among Asian teams, Pakistan is at second place in the ICC rankings, so it will be ‘Seed 2’. Top seeded teams (like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) do not have to play small matches in the initial group stage, hence they get direct entry into the quarter-finals i.e. knockout round.

How are the group stage and draw decided?

The ‘draw’ of the tournament is arranged in such a way that the two strongest teams, such as India and Pakistan, do not eliminate each other by playing matches early in the tournament. When groups are made in the tournament, the teams are divided into different groups on the basis of ICC ranking. For example, India will be placed in Group A from seed 1, while Pakistan will be placed in Group B from seed 2, so that both the strong teams remain in their respective groups. This is done so that the excitement of the tournament remains and even the weaker teams get a chance to progress by playing among themselves. Whereas the competition between big teams should be directly in quarter-finals, semi-finals or finals.

Asian Games cricket medal tally (2010 – 2023)

Indian women’s cricket team has been announced for Asian Games 2026

The Indian women’s cricket team has been announced for the Asian Games 2026. Team India will play under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur. This time also the Indian women’s team would like to win the gold medal. The Indian men’s team is yet to be announced.

Indian women’s cricket team squad for Asian Games 2026

Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket keeper), G. Kamalini (wicket keeper), Bharti Phulmali, Sri Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaur, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandini Sharma.