The Men in Blue have received direct ticket into the quarter-finals of the Aichi-Nagoya Games 2026.
India’s men’s cricket matches at the 2026 Asian Games will get underway earlier than originally scheduled after organisers revised the timings of some knockout fixtures, Cricbuzz reported.
According to the report, the afternoon men’s matches will now begin at 1.30 pm local time instead of the previously announced 2 pm. The change is applicable to selected knockout matches, while the timings of the women’s cricket fixtures remain unchanged.
The Men in Blue have received direct ticket into the quarter-finals of the Aichi-Nagoya Games 2026. Their first match is slated to start at 1.30 pm local time. As Japan is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of India, the game will kick-off at 10 am IST.
The revised timings also apply to the second semi-final and the gold-medal match, both of which are scheduled to begin at 1.30 pm local time. However, the change has not yet been communicated to all those involved.
Officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) claimed they were not informed about the revised timings, even though the updated schedule had appeared on the official website.
To be specific, the change includes the second quarter-final on September 28, which India will play, the second semi-final on October 1, in which India are likely to feature, and the gold-medal contest on October 3.
The other knockout fixtures will retain their earlier schedules, with the first quarter-final, featuring Pakistan, the first semi-final and the bronze-medal play-off will begin at 9 am local time.
There is no change to the preliminary-round fixtures involving Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong (China), Malaysia and Oman as well. Those matches will continue to be played at 9 am and 2 pm local time.
The decision to revise timings of some men’s matches is understood to be linked to conditions at the venue. Sources said the adjustment was necessitated because it gets dark early in Japan and there is no facility of lights at the venue. With men’s matches expected to last longer, starting the afternoon fixtures 30 minutes earlier was considered a practical solution.
India will also play a T20I against Japan on September 22, although that match is not part of the Asian Games schedule. The fixture at Sano International Stadium is slated to commence at 1 pm Japan Standard Time, or 9.30 am IST.
The 2026 Asian Games will begin on September 19 and conclude on October 4.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)