Asian Games 2026 Rules: What Happens to Gold Medals if the India vs. Pakistan Final is Cancelled Due to Rain

Due to incessant rain, the Indian team, a two-time T20 World Championship champion, is forced to enter the Asian Games semi-finals without proper preparation and in an irregular state. On Thursday, the Indian squad will face the Sri Lankan team. The match is scheduled to start at 10 am Indian time.

After arriving in Nagoya, the Indian team could not get enough opportunities for training due to constant downpours. They managed to conduct only one training session before the semi-final when the sky cleared slightly. Although clear weather is forecast for Thursday and Friday, there is a risk of further rain during the final on Saturday.

It is interesting that all four teams in the semi-finals have not played a single match in the tournament yet. All quarter-final matches were cancelled due to rain, and the participants for the semi-finals were determined based on the ICC ranking. In the second semi-final, Pakistan and Bangladesh will face each other.

For India, this match presents an unusual situation. The team arrived in Japan on September 20, but the training process was constantly interrupted by rain. India managed to play only one friendly match against Japan near Tokyo, where each team played five overs. Earlier, captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that bad weather creates problems with training but stressed that professional athletes cannot use this as an excuse for lack of practice.

Furthermore, India's opponent, Sri Lanka, is not in full fighting condition. Therefore, the Indian team under the guidance of Shreyas Iyer is expected to start strongly to qualify directly for the final.

In the early stages of the tournament, large scores were not recorded. Due to constant rain, the field remains moist, which may lead to a slowdown and some sluggishness on the pitch in the semi-final. Under these conditions, players, bowlers, and fielders will have to quickly adapt to the circumstances.

There is a certain relief for India: if the semi-final match on Thursday is cancelled due to rain, they will automatically advance to the final based on their first place in the ICC ranking. Sri Lanka ranks ninth. In the second semi-final, Pakistan ranks sixth, and Bangladesh ranks eighth. Similarly, if that match is cancelled, Pakistan will proceed to the final due to a higher ranking. However, if the final on Saturday is also cancelled due to bad weather, the gold medal will be shared between India and Pakistan.

The quarterfinals of the men's cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya have been fully determined. After the match in Group A was cancelled due to rain on September 26 (Saturday), Nepal and Afghanistan advanced to the next round, while the host country Japan was eliminated from the tournament.

Malaysia and Hong Kong advanced to the next stage from Group B. In the last match of Group A, Nepal and Japan faced each other. This match took place at Korogi Sports Park in Nishin city. Nepal, having lost the toss, started with bat, scoring a strong total of 149/4 in 15 overs. Sandeep Jora and Lokesh Bam helped the team reach a good position, but then it started raining. Due to the continuous rain, Japan's innings did not begin, and the match ended without a winner.

This result brought direct benefits to Nepal and Afghanistan. Earlier, Nepal achieved a major surprise in Group A by defeating Afghanistan. For Japan, this match was the last chance to remain in the tournament, but the rain dashed its hopes.

In Group B, the match between Malaysia and Oman was also cancelled due to rain, and no balls were bowled. As a result of this match, Malaysia and Hong Kong qualified for the quarterfinals, and Oman's campaign ended.

Following the completion of the preliminary round matches, the full quarterfinal schedule was announced. India will face Afghanistan on September 28 (Monday) at 10:00 AM. On the same day, at 5:30 AM Indian time, Pakistan and Hong Kong will meet. The third quarterfinal match will feature Sri Lanka against Nepal, and in the fourth quarterfinal, Malaysia will play against Bangladesh. Both of these matches will take place on September 29 (Tuesday).

Indian squash players demonstrated outstanding results at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, qualifying for the semi-finals. Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh won their semi-final matches, guaranteeing India at least a silver medal.

Abhay Singh, who holds a gold medal from the Asian Championships, defeated Mohammed Irfan of Pakistan in the men's singles category. He won with a score of 3-0 in sets. Abhay maintained control of the match from the beginning, winning the first set 11-3. In the second set, Irfan from Pakistan created serious competition, but Abhay remained calm and won the set 12-10, increasing his lead to 2-0.

In the third set, the Indian athlete once again asserted his dominance, winning 11-6 and securing his place in the final.

Meanwhile, in the women's singles category, Anahat Singh played a tense match against Satomi Watanabe of Japan, winning 3-2. Anahat initially lost the first set 9-11, and in the second set, she trailed 11-13. However, after this, the Indian athlete made an impressive comeback, winning the third set 12-10.

Subsequently, Anahat Singh leveled the score at 2-2, winning the fourth set 11-6. In the decisive fifth set, she gave Satomi Watanabe no chance and won the set 11-3, advancing to the final. This victory made Anahat Singh the first Indian woman to reach the final of the women's singles squash event at the Asian Games. Abhay Singh's victory also sustains hopes of winning gold in the men's singles category.

Now both Indian athletes will advance to the final, where they will have a chance to win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games. Winning gold qualifies both players for the Los Angeles Olympics.