India is set to take a decisive step towards its Olympic cricket ambitions by fielding top men’s and women’s players at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with the tournament seen as a crucial preparatory platform ahead of cricket’s return to the Olympic programme at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Regular T20 captains Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur are expected to lead the men’s and women’s teams respectively, as India looks to send full-strength squads for the continental multi-sport event. It is understood that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has submitted a long list of established players to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as part of the official contingent, which will be forwarded to the Games’ Organising Committee by the end of next month.
“India will send its ‘A’ team when the final names are decided in May end. The BCCI has sent the names of leading men and women cricketers to the IOA. All the top cricketers will be available for selection,” a source stated TOI.
The women’s long list includes senior figures such as Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud and N Sree Charani.
“India are the defending champions, having won gold in both men and women categories at the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023. With the inclusion of cricket at the LA Games, multisport events such as Asiad and Olympics have become important,” the source added.
India’s renewed focus on sending its strongest possible squads marks a shift from previous editions, where the men’s team often featured a second-string side due to a packed international calendar. In contrast, the women’s team traditionally included senior players even at multi-sport events. “This time, there are no international fixtures planned for both teams during the duration of the Games,” the source said.
India’s all-format head coach Gautam Gambhir has already underlined the importance of the Olympic pathway, indicating that winning gold at the Los Angeles Games is among his key long-term objectives.
The Asian Games will be staged across Aichi and Nagoya prefectures from September 19 to October 4, with cricket competitions featuring 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams. All matches will be played at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi.
(Inputs sourced from TOI)
