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India will face Sri Lanka in the men's cricket semi-final at the 2026 Asian Games after persistent rain forced the abandonment of Sri Lanka's quarter-final against Nepal in Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday.
The match at Korogi Sports Park was called off without a ball being bowled, with the wet conditions making play impossible. Sri Lanka progressed because they entered the knockout stage with a higher ICC T20I ranking than Nepal.
The result completes the semi-final line-up, with India taking on Sri Lanka and Pakistan facing Bangladesh in the other last-four match. Both semi-finals are scheduled for October 1.
India get their semi-final opponent
India had already secured their place in the semi-finals after their own quarter-final against Afghanistan was washed out on Monday.
The defending champions also advanced without playing a ball because they were the higher-ranked team. India entered the tournament as the No. 1-ranked T20I side, while Afghanistan were ranked 10th.
Sri Lanka's progression followed the same rule. They were ranked ninth in the T20I rankings, above Nepal at No. 14, and therefore advanced when Tuesday's quarter-final could not get underway.
It means India and Sri Lanka will now meet for a place in the Asian Games final.
Another match lost to rain
The Nepal-Sri Lanka washout was the third consecutive men's quarter-final at the Asian Games to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
India's quarter-final against Afghanistan and Pakistan's match against Hong Kong had already suffered the same fate. Bangladesh's quarter-final against Malaysia is also part of the rain-affected knockout schedule.
The repeated washouts have become one of the biggest talking points of the cricket competition, particularly because teams that performed strongly in the group stage have been eliminated without getting an opportunity to play their quarter-finals.
Nepal, for example, had won their only group match against Afghanistan and progressed to the quarter-finals unbeaten, but their campaign ended without them taking the field against Sri Lanka.
India eye another Asian Games gold medal
India are the defending men's Asian Games champions after winning gold at the 2023 Games in Hangzhou.
The semi-final against Sri Lanka will therefore be an important step in India's attempt to retain the title. The match is scheduled for October 1 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
India's squad is led by Shreyas Iyer, with players including Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan and Arshdeep Singh.
For Sri Lanka, reaching the semi-final provides an opportunity to compete for a medal after entering the knockout stage directly at the quarter-final stage.
India vs Sri Lanka semi-final
The semi-final will finally give India a chance to play a competitive knockout match after their quarter-final was abandoned.
With the other semi-final featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh, the winners of the two matches will meet in the October 3 gold-medal match.
For now, though, India and Sri Lanka have their focus on October 1 and a place in the Asian Games final.
