🏏Asian Games 2026: 2nd Semi-Final: India vs Sri Lanka on 01/10/26🏏

🏏Asian Games 2026: 2nd Semi-Final: India vs Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin on 01/10/26 @ 10:00 AM IST🏏

India (IND) square off against Sri Lanka (SL) in the second semi-final at the Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on Thursday, October 1.

Shreyas Iyer will be leading a strong Indian side at the continental competition. They are the top-seeded team in the event and that helped them progress from the quarterfinal, which was washed out against Afghanistan. India are almost at full-strength, with most of these players featuring in the 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have sent a second-string team and their players will have to punch above their weights to test the Indian team. Sahan Arachchige, who has been named captain of the side, will have to lead his team from the front.

When: October 1, 2026, 1:30 PM Local, 4:30 AM GMT, 10:00 AM IST

Where: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin

What to expect: The group-stage games suggest a slow surface at the Korogi Sports Park, with conditions likely to favour spin. Several days of rain could make the pitch even slower and the outfield sluggish. The forecast, however, is encouraging, with only a 10% chance of rain on match day. Should the game be rained out, India will advance to the final.

Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin: Pitch Report

Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin is expected to provide a pitch that will favour the spinners. The fast bowlers could use the slower ones if there is grip on the surface. Expect a low-scoring affair due to the pitch conditions despite the presence of several big hitters in both sides.

Pitch and conditions

After a spell of heavy rain in Nisshin, the sun was out in all its glory on Wednesday. The forecast for Thursday is "very warm with plenty of sunshine" according to AccuWeather and "mainly sunny" according to The Weather Channel, with temperatures expected to go up to 30 degrees Celsius and the humidity to be around 60%.

In case unexpected rain washes out this game too, India will go through to the final for being higher-ranked side.

Team news

India: Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return after being rested for the game against Japan.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

Sri Lanka: No injuries to report.

Probable XI: Sahan Arachchige (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Lasith Croospulle, Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Tharindu Ratnayake, Binura Fernando, Vijaykanth Viyaskanth, Nuwan Thushara

In the spotlight: Washington Sundar and Niroshan Dickwella

India have been plagued by injuries of late and one of the names on that list was that of Washington Sundar, who returned to action in the Japan T20I last week. He didn't get to bat, but bowled two overs and took two wickets in his first game in two months. India would want to give him more game time before he heads back home for the West Indies T20Is that start on October 6. Washington has otherwise had an impressive year across formats with an unbeaten 52 in an ODI to give India their first win of their UK tour after he took a four-for in the Test against Afghanistan, in which he also scored 52*.

Niroshan Dickwella last played a T20I in 2021 and he is back in the scheme of things despite an underwhelming Lanka Premier League a couple of months ago, where he scored only 110 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 142.85 while averaging 18.33. He has, however, been among the runs of late, and scored a brisk 80 off 115 balls in the first Test against India. If he gets to bat on Tuesday, this could be a great chance for Dickwella to show why he was once an all-format regular for Sri Lanka.

IND vs SL: Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma is going to be the batter to watch out for. The best time to bat is going to be inside the powerplay when the ball is hard. Abhishek's aggressive approach from the get-go could serve India well and make things easier for the batters to follow.

Probable Best Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah can be lethal against the inexperienced Sri Lankan batters. He is not just going to be key when the ball is new but his slower balls are also going to flummox a few of the opposition batters as many of them would be facing him for the first time.

Today's Match Prediction: India to win the match

First To Bat

IND Powerplay: 55-65

175-185

First To Bat

SL Powerplay: 40-50

140-150

Win Probability

IND 50%

SL 50%

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

Thank you, Raji, for the thread and the tag.

Best wishes to India.

India are set to face Sri Lanka in the men’s cricket semifinal of the 2026 Asian Games at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday. However, what has dominated the headlines in the run up to the match is what is in store in the skies above the ground than what the players have done on it. Rain has wreaked havoc on the men’s event in Nisshin, with the last six matches all being washed out.

This included reigning gold medallists India’s match against Afghanistan and the former went through to the semifinal simply because they were seeded higher than their opponents. However, it looks like the clouds have cleared up for some cricket at last in Nisshin. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has predicted clear weather for tomorrow with a 0 percent probability of precipitation. The temperature in the city of Nagoya is predicted to be between 20 and 31 degrees Celsius, with a lot of sunshine, making it an almost ideal weather for cricket.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games, India were awarded gold after the final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain due to being the higher ranked side. This time, though, the Games organising committee told The Indian Express that the gold medal will be shared in case of a washout on Saturday.