India squads for Asian Games: Suryakumar Yadav, Harmanpreet Kaur set to lead gold hunt

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly finalized a list of probable players from men’s and women’s cricket for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Japan. India are likely to send their strongest squads to the tournament in Japan, with an eye on a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The BCCI has shared a provisional list of players for the Asian Games with the Indian Olympic Association, which will be submitted to the organisers later this month. Regular captains Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur are set to lead the men’s and women’s teams in the T20 format at the Asian Games.

India Finalize Provisional Squads for Asian Games 2026, Share List With IOA

According to a report by The Times of India, the provisional squads for the Asian Games have already been finalized and shared with the Indian Olympic Association.

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India will send their teams once the final selections are confirmed by the end of May. They are also the defending champions, having won gold in both categories at the 2023 Hangzhou Asiad.

“India will send its ‘A’ team when the final names are decided in May end. The BCCI has sent the names of leading men and women cricketers to the IOA. All the top cricketers will be available for se lection,” a source told TOI.

“India are the defending champions, having won gold in both men and women categories at the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023. With the inclusion of cricket at the LA Games, multisport events such as Asiad and Olympics have become important,” the source added.

Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur to Lead India at Asian Games T20 Events

The men’s list includes current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, along with several established batters, all-rounders, and bowlers such as Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, and Rinku Singh.

Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the women’s side, which features senior players like Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, along with a mix of young batters, all-rounders, and bowlers.

Men’s Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Rinku Singh

Women’s Squad: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, and Sree Charani, alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

Gautam Gambhir Sets Gold Medal Focus as India Plan Strong Squads for Asian Games

India’s all-format coach Gautam Gambhir has already stated that winning gold at the Los Angeles Games is one of his main targets. The focus is now on building strong squads for multi-sport events where cricket can deliver medals.

In earlier editions, the BCCI sent a second-string men’s team due to a packed international calendar, while the women’s side usually featured senior players. This time, there are no international fixtures scheduled for either team during the Games.

“This time, there are no international fixtures planned for both teams during the duration of the Games,” the source said.

The Asian Games will be held in Japan’s Aichi and Nagoya prefectures from September 19 to October 4. Cricket will be played at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi, with 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams taking part.

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