Cricket fans will have to wait for the business end of the Nagoya Asian Games to potentially witness a high-stakes encounter between India and Pakistan. According to the tournament draw, the two nations, who are the top-seeded sides in the men's competition, have been placed in separate halves of the bracket. This structure means the arch-rivals can only face each other in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off.
The Asian Games are scheduled to run from September 19 to October 4, with cricket events taking place between September 17 and October 3. The tournament will begin with the women's competition, concluding with their final on September 22, followed by the men's event. A total of 10 teams are participating in the men's tournament, while eight teams will compete in the women's event. For the men, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have been granted direct entry into the quarterfinals, while six other teams—including Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Malaysia, and Oman—must navigate the group stage.
In the men's bracket, Pakistan is positioned in Quarterfinal 1 and India is set for Quarterfinal 2, both scheduled for September 28. These matches will determine who advances to face the winners of the other two quarterfinals on October 1. Consequently, any potential meeting between India and Pakistan is reserved exclusively for the medal matches on October 3 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.
The women's draw follows a similar logic. India enters as the top-seeded side and will face Japan in their quarterfinal. Should they advance, they could meet either Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China, in the semifinals. Pakistan, seeded fourth behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will open their campaign against Thailand, with a potential semifinal match against either Sri Lanka or Malaysia. As with the men's event, the tournament design ensures that an India-Pakistan encounter can only occur during the final or the bronze-medal play-off, both of which are scheduled for September 22 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
