Asian Games 2026: India back cricket and hockey as principal gold hopes in Japan
India's cricket and hockey teams arrive in Japan as favourites to bring gold at the 2026 Asian Games, according to a preview published on September 17, 2026. The cricket sides are viewed as outright favourites to dominate the field, while both hockey teams carry the favourites tag despite recent setbacks.
The men's and women's cricket teams enter the tournament led by Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur respectively, and will be hoping their star power helps seal automatic qualification into the LA Olympics 2028; both sides are aiming to replicate their gold-medal success from the previous edition. Hockey arrives under a cloud of off-field issues, with a power struggle in Hockey India and a jersey controversy that gained attention during last month's World Cups.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to play a key role for India in Japan; though he has not had much time in the middle recently, his strike-rate of 189.21 is noted as a major asset. India's bowling attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, who is described as gunning for a medal after impressing during the Afghanistan series following an injury layoff.
The Indian women's cricket team come fresh from a Women's Asia Cup victory and will rely on Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma at the top of the order with Harmanpreet Kaur anchoring the middle. Spin options listed for the tournament include Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani and Prema Rawat, and the return of Shreyanka Patil is cited as a timely boost.
On the hockey side, Sjoerd Marijne, in his second stint as coach, is credited with fostering togetherness in the women's squad that finished fifth at the World Cup; they drew 2-2 with the defending Asian Games champions in their opening match of that tournament. Salima Tete captaincy is highlighted alongside a mix of youth and experience, and the article notes that replicating last month's World Cup performance would end a 44-year wait for an Asian Games gold for the women's team.
The Indian men's hockey team finished eighth at the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands and face expectations that anything short of gold will be judged a failure after romping to gold in China last time and winning the Asia Cup on home soil last year. The piece adds that, with none of the Asian teams in the top 10, this presents an opportunity for the men to shake off World Cup form and seal Olympic qualification.
Squads named in the preview are as follows. Men's cricket squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur. Women's cricket squad: Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Bharti Fulmali, Kranti Gaud, Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Smriti Mandhana (VC), Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Nandani Sharma, Radha Yadav. Men's hockey personnel: Goalkeepers: Mohith HS, Suraj Karkera; Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay Rana, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach; Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad; Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek. Women's hockey personnel: Goalkeepers: Savita Punia, Bichu Devi Kharibam; Defenders: Ishika Chaudhary, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalthantluangi, Jyoti, Shilpi Dabas; Midfielders: Nikki Pradhan, Sakshi Rana, Sunelita Toppo, Salima Tete (c), Neha, Deepika Soreng; Forwards: Lalremsiami, Rutuja Pisal, Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Ishika, Baljeet Kaur, Beauty Dungdung.
The preview records historical outcomes in the Asian Games: men's hockey has won four golds (1966, 1998, 2014, 2022), nine silvers (1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2002) and three bronzes (1986, 2010, 2018), while the women's hockey team has one gold (1982), two silvers (1998, 2018) and four bronzes (1986, 2006, 2014, 2022). The article also notes that cricket debuted at the Asian Games in 2010 (absent only in 2018) and that India won both gold medals when they first competed in 2022.
Both sports carry explicit Olympic implications in the preview: India's cricket teams seek automatic qualification to the LA Olympics 2028, and the Indian men's hockey side is presented with an opportunity to seal Olympic qualification by converting Asian Games success into a pathway to the Games.
