Asian Games 2026 LIVE UPDATES: Cricket – IND vs AFG starts at 10 am as rain threat looms in Japan

India’s men’s cricket team will begin its Asian Games 2026 gold-medal defence against Afghanistan in the quarterfinal on September 28, with rain threatening to disrupt the contest at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The match is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. IST. A win would take Shreyas Iyer’s side into the semifinals; if the match is abandoned without a result, India would still advance because of their higher ICC T20I ranking.

Cricket is the focus of Day 9 in Aichi-Nagoya, but India’s medal prospects extend well beyond the ground. Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat are in contention for a women’s 25m pistol team medal, while the men’s and women’s trap teams complete their qualification rounds. Athletics offers nine scheduled medal finals involving Indians, from the women’s discus throw in the afternoon to the women’s 4x100m relay in the evening.

Cricket: India vs Afghanistan quarterfinal under rain threat

India and Afghanistan meet in the men’s T20 quarterfinal three years after rain ended their Hangzhou gold-medal match without a result, with India taking gold on the ranking tiebreaker. Showers are forecast in Nisshin on Monday, raising the possibility of another shortened match or a washout. India had a reminder of how tight a rain-reduced contest can become when Japan pushed them to a two-run finish in a five-over warm-up match last week. 

Shooting: Manu Bhaker eyes 25m pistol team medal

Bhaker returns to the range after finishing fifth in the women’s 10m air pistol individual final earlier in the Games. She joins Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat in the women’s 25m pistol rapid stage from 6:10 a.m. IST. Their combined qualification scores will determine the team medals, while shooters who qualify for the individual final will compete again later in the morning.

There are two more team medal opportunities in trap shooting. Ahvar Rizvi, Kynan Chenai and Shapath Bharadwaj resume the men’s qualification at 6:30 a.m.; Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat and Neeru begin the women’s Day 2 qualification at the same time.

Athletics: Sable, Sreeshankar and Gulveer among medal contenders

Seema Kaliramna and Sanya Yadav open India’s athletics medal programme in the women’s discus throw final at 2:35 p.m. Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan contest the women’s 400m hurdles final at 3:53 p.m., followed by Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan in the men’s final at 4:03 p.m.

Avinash Sable races in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final at 4:17 p.m. David Solomon Patturaj and Murali Sreeshankar take on the men’s long jump final at 4:30 p.m., before Yoonus Shah and Gulveer Singh run the 1,500m at 4:38 p.m. Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh compete in the javelin throw final at 4:45 p.m. Seema Kumari and Parul Chaudhary feature in the women’s 5,000m final at 5:13 p.m., with India’s women’s 4x100m relay team due at 6:34 p.m.

India also have qualification rounds in the mixed 4x100m relay, women’s 800m and men’s 4x400m relay. Progress in those events would create further medal chances later in the Games.

Boxing: Three quarterfinals offer chances to secure medals

Lovlina Borgohain faces South Korea’s Seong Suyeon in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal during the morning session, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Priya meets Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samadova in the women’s 60kg category during the evening session from 1:30 p.m., while Kapil Pokhariya takes on South Korea’s Kim Gichae in the men’s 90kg quarterfinal. A win in any of these bouts will assure India of a boxing medal.

Archery: Compound archers begin individual knockouts

Sahil Rajesh Jadhav faces Mongolia’s Jamiyangombo Purevdorj and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru meets Indonesia’s Sostar Andaru Rinaldi in the men’s compound round of 32 from 4:45 a.m. Chikitha Taniparthi and Jyothi Surekha Vennam begin the women’s compound elimination round at 9:45 a.m.; Jyothi faces Kazakhstan’s Adel Zhexenbinova. Later rounds depend on their results.

Squash: Indian teams face China, Japan and South Korea

The women’s squash team play China at 6:30 a.m. and Japan at noon in Pool C. India’s men meet China at 8:30 a.m. and South Korea at 2 p.m. in Pool A.

Hockey: India men face Bangladesh

India’s men’s hockey team face Bangladesh in a Pool A match at 3:30 p.m.

Tennis: Sumit Nagal and women’s doubles pair in action

Sumit Nagal plays South Korea’s Hong Seong-chan in the men’s singles second round at 6:30 a.m. Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina meet Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Yuliya Putintseva in the women’s doubles first round, not before 7:30 a.m.

Surfing: Sivaraj and Kishore in Round 3 heats

Sivaraj Babu and Kishore Kumar Anbarasu compete in men’s shortboard Round 3 heats at 3:58 a.m. and 6:46 a.m., respectively.

Kurash, sepaktakraw and volleyball

Pincky Balhara begins her women’s under-78kg kurash quarterfinal at 8 a.m., with the opponent to be confirmed. India also play Japan in women’s sepaktakraw doubles at 6:30 a.m. and Hong Kong, China, in men’s volleyball at the same time. 

 The Asian Games 2026 will be streamed live in India on Sony LIV and televised on the Sony Sports Network.