India could send a ‘B’ team for the Asian Games over Japan facility concerns
BCCI will send an observer to assess arrangements
India had initially named strong men’s and women’s squads
India could field a ‘B’ team in the cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan amid concerns over the facilities and arrangements for players, with the BCCI and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) reportedly dissatisfied with the setup in Aichi-Nagoya.
The BCCI is expected to send an observer to Japan to assess the arrangements before deciding whether the full-strength squads initially selected for the tournament will participate. If the facilities are deemed inadequate, the board could opt to send a second-string side instead, according to an ANI report citing a BCCI source.
“BCCI and ACC are not happy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan, and the board will send an observer there. The observer will submit its report to us, and if arrangements are not up to the mark, we could consider sending a B team there,” the source told ANI.
The source said concerns were raised with Japan Olympics officials during an ACC meeting. Among the issues highlighted were the dressing rooms, which have reportedly been set up in tents, while the washrooms are around 500 metres away. The size of the hotel rooms allocated to players has also reportedly emerged as a concern.
India had won the men's cricket gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The final against Afghanistan was washed out, with India awarded the gold medal based on their higher seeding.
The BCCI had initially named a strong men's squad for the 2026 edition, with Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The squad also features Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel.
India Men's T20I Squad For Asian Games
Shreyas Iyer (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jasprit Bumrah.
The Indian women's squad also features several established senior players, with Harmanpreet Kaur leading the side and Smriti Mandhana named vice-captain. Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh are among the other prominent names in the squad.
India Women's T20I Squad For Asian Games
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandni Sharma.
The 2026 Asian Games will begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya. The men's cricket tournament is scheduled from September 24 to October 3, while the women's competition will take place from September 17 to 22.
