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The Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition will feature a final clash between India and Pakistan for the gold medal. On October 1, India beat Sri Lanka whereas Pakistan defeated Bangladesh to book their spots in the final at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 46-ball 80 helped India post 169/7 on a two-paced spin-friendly surface. Jasprit Bumrah set the tone with a double strike in first over. Indian bowlers were ruthless in their approach and bundled out a second-string Sri Lankan side for 45 to win by 124 runs and qualify for their second consecutive Asian Games final.
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Kishan shines on tough spin-friendly track, Sri Lanka 45 all out
India skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to for just one specialist pacer in Bumrah. He opted for nine batting options which meant slotting in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as opener and Sanju Samson batting at no.3. Abhishek hit a six before he was dismissed by off-spinner Sahan Arachchige. The Sri Lankans used the same ploy against Abhishek as multiple teams did during the T20 World Cup 2026. Then, Samson got bowled by left-arm spinner Tharindu Ratnayake. On a pitch where the ball turned square, the old ball kept low, Sooryavanshi batted smartly. He hit Binura Fernando for two consecutive fours. Then, he took on Ratnayake in the fifth over, hitting a six and two fours. India were 58/2 after powerplay overs. His carnage was ended by Arachchige in the seventh over. The skipper got him caught at short third man. The opener contributed with a crucial 21-ball 38.
Kishan walked in to bat at no.5, joining skipper Iyer. He hit a six each off Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Wanuja Sahan. In the 10th over, the captain hit a four before getting beaten in the air by left-arm spinner. He got bowled for a run-a-ball 13. Axar Patel could not get going and scored just eight runs from 13 balls. He lost his wicket to Lasith Croospulle. But, Kishan kept the scoring rate up. He hit Nuwanidu Fernando for a six and a four. Batting down the order, Tilak Varma couldn't get going against spinners. He got out stumped while lunging forward.
In the 17th over, Kishan reached his half-century with a six. In the same over, his catch was put down as well. Kishan lacked support from the other end. Shivam Dube couldn't find the middle of the bat and his slogs did not work. In the penultimate over, he lost his wicket to Ratnayake. He scored just three runs from nine balls. In the final over, India finished well. First, Kishan hit a six. Then, having a long batting lineup worked as batting at no.9, Washington Sundar hit a six on the second ball he faced. India posted 169/7 on the board. Kishan remained unbeaten for 80, the highest score by an Indian batter at no.5 or lower in T20Is. He broke Manish Pandey's record. Pandey had scored 79 not out against South Africa in 2018.
As many as 17 overs of spin was bowled in the innings by Sri Lanka. Spin to win seemed to be the message but Bumrah did not take much time to strike. He got rid of Sineth Jayawardena and Sohan de Livera for ducks. Samson took a one-handed stunner to dismiss De Livera. Sri Lanka lost two wickets before adding a run to their total. Then, Croospulle got run out by Ravi Bishnoi's direct hit. In his second over, Axar Patel struck twice as well, dismissing skipper Arachchige and Ashen Bandara. Sri Lanka lost half the side for 18 in 3.4 overs. Fernando showed first signs of aggression with a couple of sixes against Sundar. But, he was run out as well after mix-up with Chamika Karunaratne.
The collapse continued. Sundar ended Sahan's stay at the crease. In the 10th over, Karunaratne had a mix-up with Ratnayake leading to the latter's run out as Varma pulled off a direct hit. Ratnayake scored jus five runs from 15 balls. Then, Abhishek Sharma struck off consecutive balls to bowl out Sri Lanka for 45 in 9.5 overs. The 124-run win is India's largest against Sri Lanka in the format. This is Sri Lanka's lowest T20I total. Their previous lowest of 77 came against South Africa in 2024.
Mustafizur errs, Samad becomes Pakistan’s designated finisher
Earlier, the first semifinal clash was reduced to a 13 overs per side contest due to wet outfield. Pakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bangladesh got off to a terrible start. Arafat Minhas got rid of Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon in consecutive overs whereas Saim Ayub dismissed Litton Das. All three fell for single-digit scores. The acceleration came in the sixth over as Abrar Ahmed was hit for a six each by Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy. But, as soon as Bangladesh were seem to be recovering from early blows, Sufyan Moqim dismissed Hassan lbw for a 17-ball 19. Bangladesh were struggling for 45/5 after seven overs.
Hridoy continued to push the scoring rate. He smashed Moqim for a four and a six. He did the same against Abrar as well. Eventually, Moqim had the last laugh with Hridoy's wicket. He hit four sixes and a couple of fours in his 25-ball 43. In the penultimate over, Mosaddek Hossain departed for a 16-ball 11. Mosaddek played too many dot deliveries. Only eight runs came off the final over. Rishad Hossain was run out off the final delivery. Bangladesh posted 111/7 in 13 overs, a decent total on the board on a tough pitch.
In the run chase, Pakistan lost their skipper Farhan for a single-digit score to Mahedi Hasan. He went for a lofted shot but barely cleared the 30-yard circle. In the next over, Maaz Sadaqat hit a six and a four before a top-edge led to his wicket. He lost his wicket to Nasum Ahmed. Dropped down the order, Ayub targeted Mustafizur Rahman. He hit the left-arm pacer for two sixes and a four. In the same over, he was caught at deep midwicket as well. He departed for a 12-ball 21. Then, leggie Rishad ended Usman Khan's stay at the crease. Usman contributed with 14 off nine deliveries. Pakistan lost four wickets for 53 runs in the seventh over.
Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad kept the run chase afloat. After nine overs, they were 76/4 after nine overs. Mustafizur was brought back into the attack and it turned out to be the wrong move on a spin-friendly surface. Samad hit him for a six followed by four consecutive fours. He ended up conceding 41 runs from just two overs. After that, Bangladesh could not apply pressure. On the third ball of the 12th over, Nawaz finished the run chase with a boundary. Pakistan won the game with six wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Samad and Nawaz shared an unbeaten 59-run partnership for the fifth wicket from 32 balls. Samad scored 30 runs at a strike rate of 200. On the other end, Nawaz contributed with an unbeaten 22-ball 27.
When will gold medal match take place?
The India-Pakistan gold medal will be played at the same venue on October 3. While India have gold medals in double digits at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Pakistan are yet to win any medal apart from bronze. Pakistan have confirmed at least a silver medal by qualifying for the final.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will now fight for the bronze medal. If Bangladesh win, it will be their second consecutive bronze medal. Sri Lanka men’s team had not won a medal in the previous edition.
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