The Quarter-Final 2 of the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket tournament between India and Afghanistan was washed out without a ball being bowled on Monday, September 28. This edition of the tournament has been badly affected by several weather-related disruptions in Aichi-Nagoya.
With cricket not being possible in such conditions, several matches have been called off, with some teams automatically qualifying for the next round while others have been eliminated without playing a single match.
In this article, we will explore the reason behind India’s direct qualification for the semi-finals despite the washout.
Asian Games 2026: Why India Qualified Over Afghanistan in Semi Finals?
Rain-related disruptions have been a frequent occurrence in the history of cricket. As per the standard ICC rules, if a knockout match in a tournament is washed out without a result, the higher ranked (or seeded team) automatically qualifies for the next round.
India being the No. 1 ranked side and Afghanistan 10th, the former automatically qualified for the semi-finals.
In general, ICC events have reserve days for knockout matches to ensure that a result can be produced despite adverse weather conditions. However, due to logistical issues and time constraints at the Asian Games 2026, reserve days are not available for these matches.
As a result, teams are directly advancing to the next round based on their ranking or seeding when matches are abandoned.
Meanwhile, the Quarter-Final 1 between Pakistan and Hong Kong was also washed out at the toss. Both matches were scheduled to be played at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
Asian Games 2026: Men's Cricket Results & Schedule
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Date
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Match / Round
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Venue
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Teams & Scores
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Result
|
|
Thu, Sep 24, 2026
|
1st Match, Group A
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
|
Afghanistan: 129-6 (20)
Japan: 81 (19.3)
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Afghanistan won by 48 runs
|
|
Thu, Sep 24, 2026
|
2nd Match, Group B
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Hong Kong, China: 81-9 (20)
Malaysia: 84-2 (12)
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Malaysia won by 8 wickets
|
|
Fri, Sep 25, 2026
|
3rd Match, Group B
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Hong Kong, China: 121-8 (20)
Oman: 80-6 (20)
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Hong Kong, China won by 41 runs
|
|
Fri, Sep 25, 2026
|
4th Match, Group A
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Afghanistan: 102-7 (20)
Nepal: 103-5 (17.2)
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Nepal won by 5 wickets
|
|
Sat, Sep 26, 2026
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5th Match, Group A
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Nepal: 149-4 (15)
Japan: —
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No result due to rain
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|
Sat, Sep 26, 2026
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6th Match, Group B
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Malaysia vs Oman
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Match abandoned due to rain (No toss)
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|
Mon, Sep 28, 2026
|
1st Quarter-Final
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Pakistan vs Hong Kong, China
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Match abandoned due to rain (No toss)
(Pakistan advanced on higher seed)
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|
Mon, Sep 28, 2026
|
2nd Quarter-Final
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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India vs Afghanistan
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Match abandoned without toss
(India advanced on higher seed)
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|
Tue, Sep 29, 2026
|
3rd Quarter-Final
|
Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Sri Lanka vs Nepal
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Upcoming (5:30 AM / 9:00 AM Local)
|
|
Tue, Sep 29, 2026
|
4th Quarter-Final
|
Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Bangladesh vs Malaysia
|
Upcoming (10:00 AM / 1:30 PM Local)
|
|
Thu, Oct 1, 2026
|
1st Semi-Final
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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Pakistan vs TBC
|
5:30 AM / 9:00 AM Local)
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|
Thu, Oct 1, 2026
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2nd Semi-Final
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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India vs TBC
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10:00 AM / 1:30 PM Local)
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|
Sat, Oct 3, 2026
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Bronze Medal Match
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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TBC vs TBC
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5:30 AM / 9:00 AM Local)
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|
Sat, Oct 3, 2026
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Gold Medal Final
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Nisshin, Korogi Sports Park
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TBC vs TBC
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10:00 AM / 1:30 PM Local)
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Now, it will be interesting to see whether the weather related disruptions reduce in the coming days. If not, India will move further ahead in the competition and being the highest-ranked team, they will claim the gold medal in the event.
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