India vs Pakistan Asian Games Final 2026: Complete Match Guide

India and Pakistan will meet in the men’s cricket T20 gold-medal final at the Asian Games on Saturday, 3 October 2026. The scheduled start is 10:00 am IST (1:30 pm JST) at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The final is listed as Pakistan v India in the ICC official match centre, while the Olympics Asian Games scoreboard also lists this gold-medal fixture.

This is a service guide for following the final, not a pre-written result. Neither the toss, the pitch behaviour, the playing XIs nor the result is known at the time of writing. The most useful preparation is therefore to understand the confirmed squads, the evidence from the two semi-finals, the rain contingency reported for this tournament, and where to check the live score when official information changes.

Important date check: India also play the West Indies in a separate men’s ODI on 3 October. That match is scheduled for 2:00 pm IST in New Chandigarh. It is not this Asian Games final, and it involves a different India squad. Use the 4xSports India vs West Indies third ODI guide for that fixture.

ALL MATCHES DREAM11 PREDICTIONS ALL MATCHES TOSS PREDICTIONS

India vs Pakistan Asian Games final: quick facts

The time conversion above follows the 04:30 UTC listing in the ICC match centre. The venue and final pairing are also reflected in the official competition scoreboard. Readers should still open the live listing on match day because broadcasters can update programme information, channel placement and access conditions.

How to watch India vs Pakistan in India

The final is expected to be shown on Sony Sports Network television, with streaming listed on SonyLIV. The official SonyLIV upcoming-event page carries a Pakistan–India Asian Games listing. A Sporting News India broadcast guide also identifies Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV for this final at 10:00 am IST.

That does not establish that the stream will be free. Check the SonyLIV event page, the Sony Sports programme guide and the current terms for the account or package available in India. This guide does not promise free access, and it does not list JioHotstar for this Asian Games match. The latter is an especially important distinction because other cricket fixtures on the same day may have different rights arrangements.

For the most reliable score, use the ICC final match centre. The Olympics scoreboard is useful for the tournament schedule and medal fixtures. If the video listing is delayed or unavailable, an official scorecard is the better way to verify the toss, XI, innings and result rather than relying on social posts.

The confirmed India squad: corrected 14-person list

India’s current Asian Games final squad is a 14-person group, not every name that appeared in earlier announcements. The ICC match-centre squad listing is the current reference for the names below:

The corrections matter for anyone comparing articles or fantasy-style team pages. The BCCI announcement records Yash Thakur replacing Harshit Rana. The ICC squad update records Vipraj Nigam replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was withdrawn for ODI duty, and notes that Varun Chakaravarthy missed out because of a side strain. There is no verified replacement listed for Varun in the current 14-person final squad.

Accordingly, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana should not be presented as available India players for this final. The correction is not cosmetic: it prevents an old preliminary list from being mistaken for the match-day pool. It also avoids treating a withdrawn or unavailable player as a possible XI selection.

A squad is not a playing XI. India’s final XI, batting order, wicketkeeper choice and bowling combination will require an official announcement. Do not infer those details from the squad list or from the semi-final scorecard.

The updated Pakistan squad: corrected 15-person list

Pakistan’s current squad has 15 players. The PCB pre-departure camp and squad release is the primary source for the updated group, and the ICC final match-centre listing provides the current match reference.

Pakistan’s list needs one clear correction: Mohammad Wasim Jnr replaced injured Salman Mirza. That replacement is recorded in the PCB release. Therefore, Salman Mirza should not be listed as an active member of Pakistan’s final squad. An older Olympics roster still showed Salman Mirza, while a later-looking third-party roster included unrelated senior players; neither should override the updated PCB and ICC references above.

This reconciliation is one of the practical reasons to use a source-led guide. Tournament rosters can remain cached on different pages after injuries or withdrawals. The squad above is the 15-person list to use for final preparation, but it still does not confirm who will take the field.

What India showed in the semi-final

India reached the final by defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs on 1 October. India made 169/7 in 20 overs, and Sri Lanka were 45 all out in 9.5 overs. The ICC India–Sri Lanka scorecard is the primary match record, with the Olympics scoreboard confirming the tournament result. A Rediff report provides additional detail on the innings.

Ishan Kishan made 80 not out from 46 balls, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 38 from 21. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah took 2/7, Axar Patel 2/8, and Abhishek Sharma 2/2. The scorecard also records three run-outs, so the 10 Sri Lankan dismissals should not be described as 10 bowled wickets.

The evidence supports two restrained observations. India produced a substantial total and then had contributions from more than one bowling option. It does not, by itself, prove how India will bat against Pakistan, whether the same combination will be selected, or whether the final will follow the same pattern. Those are match-day questions.

What Pakistan showed in the semi-final

Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened 13-overs-a-side semi-final. Bangladesh made 111/7 in 13 overs, and Pakistan reached 112/4 in 11.3 overs. The PCB match report and the ICC Pakistan–Bangladesh scorecard document the route to the final. For the earlier match narrative, readers can also see the 4xSports Pakistan semifinal story.

Pakistan were 53/4 before an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 59 changed the chase. Abdul Samad made 30 not out from 15 balls, and Hasan Nawaz made 27 not out from 22. Sufyan Moqim took 3/26, while Arafat Minhas took 2/23.

The useful evidence is therefore different from India’s. Pakistan demonstrated recovery after early wickets and finished the shortened chase without losing another wicket. The reduced format is also a qualification: a 13-over match supplies evidence about that specific pressure situation, not a complete forecast of a 20-over final.

Tactical matchups to watch — editorial hypotheses, not predictions

The following are questions for viewers, not predictions about the winner or a claimed final XI.

India’s top-order acceleration versus Pakistan’s new-ball plan

India’s semi-final total was built around Kishan’s unbeaten 80 and Sooryavanshi’s 38. A reasonable tactical question is how Pakistan will try to limit early boundary opportunities without giving away control through extras or loose lengths. Pakistan’s selected seamers and field settings will be known only after the XI and toss are announced. The semi-final does not justify declaring one side’s opening plan superior.

Pakistan’s recovery route versus India’s varied wicket-taking

Pakistan recovered from 53/4 through Samad and Hasan Nawaz. India, meanwhile, took wickets through Bumrah, Axar and Abhishek in its semi-final, alongside three run-outs. The editorial matchup is whether Pakistan can preserve a counterattack option if India strikes early, and whether India can keep creating pressure without depending on one bowler. This is a framework for watching the innings, not a prediction of a collapse or chase.

Spin choices in an uncertain weather window

Axar, Abhishek and the wider India squad offer several possible spin or all-round configurations; Pakistan’s semi-final wicket-takers included Sufyan Moqim and Arafat Minhas. However, there is no verified pitch number, toss result or match-day weather guarantee in the available research. Viewers should treat any pre-match claim about a surface favouring spin, seam or chasing as speculation until official updates arrive.

Wicketkeeper and XI decisions

India’s squad includes Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeepers, while Pakistan’s list names Usman Khan in that role. The squad list cannot establish whether a team will select one keeper, use a particular batting order or make a tactical combination choice. Wait for the official toss graphic or team announcement before treating any predicted XI as confirmed.

Rain, abandoned matches and the 2026 gold-medal rule

Rain has already affected the tournament. The India–Afghanistan and Pakistan–Hong Kong China quarterfinals were abandoned, and both seeded teams advanced. Those were not wins over Afghanistan or Hong Kong China. Pakistan’s semi-final was then shortened to 13 overs per side, showing why weather remains a live practical concern rather than a footnote.

For the gold-medal final, The Indian Express reported an organizer explanation that if the final is cancelled, both finalists share the gold medal and there is no reserve day. This is an attributed newspaper report of what the 2026 organizer told the publication; it is not being presented here as an official regulations PDF. Check any match-day competition notice for the final operational decision.

That reported 2026 approach is different from the 2023 Asian Games men’s final, which was abandoned and awarded to India under the then-applicable seeding or ranking rule. India entered 2026 as defending champions, but the old outcome should not be used to describe the new final’s contingency. The 2023 context is background, not a rule for 2026.

Because both quarterfinals and one semi-final were affected by rain, followers should keep the ICC scorecard open and check the organizer or broadcaster’s updates. Do not assume that an abandoned final automatically produces the same result as 2023.

India vs Pakistan final FAQs

1. When is the India vs Pakistan Asian Games final?

It is scheduled for Saturday, 3 October 2026 at 10:00 am IST, which is 1:30 pm JST in Japan. The ICC listing gives 04:30 UTC.

2. Where will the final be played?

The venue is Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.

3. Is this an ODI or a T20 match?

It is the men’s T20 cricket gold-medal final at the Asian Games. It is separate from India’s same-day 2:00 pm IST ODI against the West Indies.

4. Where can viewers in India watch it?

Sony Sports Network is the television broadcaster identified for the final, and SonyLIV carries an official upcoming-event listing. Check current SonyLIV access and subscription terms; this guide does not promise a free stream.

5. Who is in India’s updated squad?

The current 14 are Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana are not active names in this updated list.

6. Who is in Pakistan’s updated squad?

The current 15 are Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Haider Ali, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim, Akif Javed, Ali Raza and Saad Masood. Mohammad Wasim Jnr replaced injured Salman Mirza.

7. Has the final playing XI been announced?

Not in the verified information used for this guide. The final XI, toss and pitch report must be checked on match day. A squad list is not a confirmed XI.

8. What happens if rain abandons the gold-medal final?

The Indian Express reported that the 2026 organizer said both finalists would share gold and that there would be no reserve day. Treat this as an attributed organizer explanation and check the latest official tournament notice before relying on it.

9. Where can I follow the live score?

Use the ICC Pakistan vs India final scorecard for the toss, playing XI, innings and result. The Olympics scoreboard remains useful for the wider Asian Games schedule.

Final checklist for match day

Before the scheduled start, verify the Sony Sports Network programme listing and the SonyLIV event page. Open the ICC scorecard rather than an old preview. Confirm the toss and playing XIs only when the official match centre or broadcast graphic publishes them. If rain intervenes, note whether play is delayed, shortened or abandoned, and look for the competition update instead of applying the 2023 outcome automatically.

For the separate 2:00 pm IST India–West Indies ODI, use the dedicated 4xSports third ODI guide. For tournament background and broader fixtures, see the 4xSports Asian Games cricket schedule and streaming guide. Once play begins, return to the ICC scorecard for the official score and result.