India's Cricket, Hockey, Hockey And Kabaddi Teams Eye Gold At 2026 Asian Games In Japan

India will field some of its finest athletes across team sports at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan starting September 19. The men's cricket team will be led by T20 captain Shreyas Iyer, while Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the women's side after guiding India to their maiden 50-over World Cup title last year. Both teams aim to defend gold medals won at the 2022 Hangzhou edition.

The women's cricket competition begins September 18 against Japan in the quarterfinal, with the men's tournament starting September 24. Star hockey player Harmanpreet Singh and kabaddi champion Sunil Kumar will also lead India's charge in their respective disciplines, which have historically been strong grounds for Indian medals at the Asian Games.