Rain has played spoiler in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket event, as all four quarterfinals have been rained out. Four matches, India vs Afghanistan, Pakistan vs Hong Kong, Sri Lanka vs Nepal, and Bangladesh vs Malaysia, were sacrificed to rain.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have qualified for the semi-finals based on their ICC rankings. The first semi-final will see Pakistan clash with Bangladesh, and the second semi-final will see India and Sri Lanka clash. Both semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday.

All of the cricket games in the Asian Games 2026 are being hosted at the Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin. And on Thursday, there is a 60% chance of rain at the venue. In case the semi-finals are cancelled due to rain, then India and Pakistan would play in the finals based on their better rankings.

This is where the scenario becomes interesting, as the final match is scheduled for Saturday and has a 40 percent chance of getting rained out.

In the 2023 Asian Games, the gold medal was awarded to India since their final against Afghanistan was rained out, and it was determined based on the better rankings of the two teams.

However, this time, in case of a rain washout, the gold medal would be awarded jointly to the two finalist teams. In case India and Pakistan get to the final round and it gets rained out, then it would be an unusual event that both teams would become co-champions.

India are aiming to retain the gold medal they won in the men's cricket competition at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The Indian women's cricket team has already successfully defended their Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to claim the gold medal.

(NDTV inputs)