NISSHIN, Japan: Pakistan and India will face each other in the men's T20 cricket final at the 2026 Asian Games after both teams won their respective semifinal matches on Thursday.
India booked their place in the gold-medal match with a 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second semifinal at Korogi Sports Park.
Batting first, India scored 169-7 in 20 overs, with captain Ishan Kishan remaining unbeaten on 80. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also contributed 38 runs.
Sri Lanka struggled in the chase and were bowled out for 45 in 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma took two wickets each, while Washington Sundar claimed one.
Earlier, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened first semifinal. Bangladesh scored 111-7 in 13 overs before Pakistan reached the target in 11.3 overs.
The final between Pakistan and India is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The gold-medal match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time, or 10 a.m. India time.
The match will be Pakistan's first men's cricket final at the Asian Games, while defending champions India are seeking another gold medal in the event.
