India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final of the Asian Games 2026 men’s T20 cricket tournament on October 1, 2026, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The result sets up a gold medal match between India and Pakistan on October 3, 2026, at the same venue, with the fixture confirmed to begin at 10:00 AM IST, which corresponds to 13:30 JST.
Ishan Kishan anchored India’s innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 deliveries, striking four fours and five sixes. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a counter-attacking 39 to help India post a commanding total of 169/7 in 20 overs after Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. The pitch wasn’t ideal for batting as it offered a lot of turn for the spinners, and the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube struggled to cope.
Sri Lanka’s chase then fell apart completely, with the side bowled out for just 45. Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in the first over, and three run-outs further derailed the innings as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 45, well short of their target.
The top three batters failed to open their accounts for Sri Lanka. Nuwanidu Fernando was the only batter to get to double figures, as he made 15 off 11 balls before being run-out.
Pakistan secured their place in the final by defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in the first semi-final on October 1. That match was reduced to 13 overs per side due to rain, and Pakistan completed the chase without difficulty to confirm an all-India-Pakistan gold medal final.
How did the tournament reach the semi-finals?
The Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition runs from September 24 to October 3, 2026, featuring 10 teams: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman. All matches are staged at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.
The tournament was heavily disrupted by adverse weather in the group and quarter-final stages. Six successive matches were abandoned due to unfavourable conditions, and India’s quarter-final fixture against Afghanistan was among those washed out. The semi-finals on October 1 represented the first completed results of the competition for several of the competing sides, making the two knockout victories all the more significant in the context of the event.
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India enter the final as defending champions, having claimed the men’s cricket gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. A win on October 3 would see them retain the title and complete an unbeaten run through the knockout rounds despite the weather-affected schedule.
