India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka secured direct entry into the men’s cricket knockout stage at the 2026 Asian Games after the draw was announced on Thursday. The 10-team men’s competition, starting from September 24 in Nagoya, will begin with a preliminary round featuring Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman, competing for the remaining quarter-final berths.Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal drew Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman have been placed in Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage to join the four seeded sides.The women’s tournament, scheduled from September 17-22, features eight teams and will begin at the quarter-final stage. Defending champions India will face hosts Japan, Bangladesh will take on China, Sri Lanka will meet Malaysia, and Pakistan will play Thailand in the first round of matches.All matches in both competitions will be played in the T20 format. India swept the cricket gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games, held in 2023 in Hangzhou, claiming both the men’s and women’s titles.