India and Pakistan will meet in the men’s cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, October 3, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The final will bring together the two teams after contrasting semifinal victories, with India beating Sri Lanka by 124 runs and Pakistan defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened contest.
India reached the final after posting 169/7 against Sri Lanka, with Ishan Kishan producing an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi adding 38. Their bowling attack then dismissed Sri Lanka for just 45, with Jasprit Bumrah making an early impact.
Pakistan, meanwhile, chased down Bangladesh’s 112 in 13 overs after a difficult start. Abdul Samad’s unbeaten 30 off 15 balls and Hasan Nawaz’s unbeaten 27 helped Pakistan reach the target with six wickets in hand. Sufyan Moqim was also influential with three wickets.
The final is particularly significant for both sides. India are defending the men’s Asian Games title they won in 2023, while Pakistan are seeking their first men’s cricket gold medal at the Games.
IND vs PAK: Match details
| Match | Details |
|---|---|
| Match | India vs Pakistan, Men’s Asian Games 2026 Final |
| Date | Saturday, October 3, 2026 |
| Time | 10:00 AM IST / 10:00 AM PKT |
| Local time | 1:30 PM Japan time |
| Venue | Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin |
| Live streaming | SonyLIV |
| TV broadcast | Sony Sports Network |
The official tournament schedule lists the final for October 3 at Korogi Sports Park, with the match scheduled for the 10:30 AM IST slot in the tournament timetable; current match listings and broadcasters report a 10:00 AM IST start.
Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin: Pitch report
The Korogi Sports Park surface has produced challenging conditions during the tournament, with spin and variations playing an important role. Both finalists have now played a completed match at the venue, giving them some experience of the conditions.
India’s bowling attack will be particularly interesting on this surface after dismissing Sri Lanka for 45 in the semifinal, while Pakistan’s Sufyan Moqim showed how effective spin can be against Bangladesh.
IND vs PAK: Head-to-head record in T20Is
India and Pakistan have a long T20I rivalry, but this will be their first men’s cricket meeting at the Asian Games.
The two sides most recently met in the 2026 T20 World Cup, adding another layer of context to the gold-medal contest.
IND vs PAK: Predicted playing XIs
India
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (C), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
Pakistan
Sahibzada Farhan (C), Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufyan Moqim.
These remain predicted XIs, with the final selections subject to team combinations and the toss.
IND vs PAK: Probable best performers
Probable best batter: Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan enters the final after playing the defining innings of India’s semifinal. His unbeaten 80 off 46 balls rescued India’s innings after a difficult start and gave India the platform to reach 169/7. His ability to attack both pace and spin makes him a major batting threat in the final.
Probable best bowler: Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah made an immediate impact against Sri Lanka by taking two wickets in the opening over. His pace, accuracy and variations could be particularly important against Pakistan’s aggressive batting order.
IND vs PAK: Match prediction
This promises to be a much closer contest than the two semifinals. India come into the final after an outstanding all-round performance against Sri Lanka, while Pakistan showed composure to recover from 53/4 and chase down Bangladesh’s target in their rain-reduced semifinal.
India have greater momentum after their dominant semifinal victory, but Pakistan’s bowling attack has already demonstrated its ability to exploit difficult conditions. The team that handles the surface and pressure of a high-profile final better should have the advantage.
Prediction: India to win the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final and retain the gold medal.
