Cricket at the Asian Games: A Short and Interrupted History

Cricket debuted at the Asian Games in 2010 and returns for the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya after being dropped once from the program.

Cricket first joined the Asian Games program in 2010, when Guangzhou, China hosted both men's and women's tournaments in the T20 format. The Olympic Council of Asia had decided in 2007 to add cricket as a medal sport. In the men's final, Bangladesh beat Afghanistan to become the first Asian Games cricket champions, with Pakistan taking bronze over Sri Lanka. Pakistan won the women's gold, ahead of Bangladesh and Japan.

The sport was retained for the 2014 Games in Incheon, South Korea. Sri Lanka won the men's title that year, defeating Afghanistan in the final, while Bangladesh took bronze. Pakistan defended the women's crown, with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka completing the podium.

Cricket was left off the program for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, as organizers looked to trim costs and the number of sports, and Indonesia also lacked suitable cricket venues. The sport returned at the Hangzhou Games, officially the 2022 edition but staged in 2023 after a pandemic-related postponement.

Hangzhou proved historic for India, which won its first Asian Games cricket golds in both the men's and women's events. Afghanistan and Bangladesh took men's silver and bronze, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finished behind the Indian women.

Cricket is on the schedule again for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, continuing the sport's uneven but growing presence at the continental multi-sport event.