Some time ago there was good news for Indian cricket fans that cricket, one of the most popular sports in the country, has been included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This is the first time that cricket has been included in the Olympics.
However, one disappointment is that both men's and women's categories of cricket have been dropped from the 2026 Asian Games to be hosted by Japan. India's men's and women's cricket teams will not be able to defend their gold medals at the 2026 Asian Games.
On whether the baseball stadium at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya will be used for cricket matches, host Japan's head of cricket operations Alan Carr said cricket is not included in the Asian Games. It would have been great if cricket was included but our organizing committee has made it clear that cricket will not be included.
There will be 41 different sports in the Asiad but cricket has not reached that level yet. Unless the committee tells us something, we cannot do any planning. It may be noted that both the Indian men's and women's teams had won gold medals in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The men's team played in the Asiad for the first time. Like the Asian and Commonwealth Games, cricket in the Olympics will also be played in T20 format.