After unrelenting rain forced the cancellation of their quarterfinal match against Nepal at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Sri Lanka’s men’s cricket team advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Games 2026 without a single ball being delivered.
At 08:20 local time, officials cancelled the game because of the unrelenting rain, which made the field unusable. ICC T20I rankings were used to settle the tie because no outcome was feasible. Sri Lanka, ranked ninth in the world, easily defeated Nepal, ranked fourteenth, and went on to the last four as a result. Without even setting foot on the pitch, Nepal was eliminated from the competition.
The Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket match between Sri Lanka and Nepal was the third consecutive quarterfinal to be cancelled before a ball was bowled. The weather was the deciding factor throughout the entire knockout phase on September 28, 2026, when the quarterfinals between Pakistan and Hong Kong and India and Afghanistan were cancelled. Pakistan and India advanced using the same ICC ranking system.
A strong group-stage performance served as the foundation for Nepal’s route to the knockout stage. They overcame Afghanistan in the group stage, demonstrating their increasing prominence in Asian cricket and establishing them as serious contenders who could defeat more experienced opponents. When their final Group A match against Japan was also cancelled due to rain, they were guarantyd a spot in the quarterfinals and earned enough points to move on.
As the four seeded teams going into the competition, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were automatically advanced to the quarterfinals, skipping the group stage completely. Due to the weather-driven format, Nepal, a non-seeded qualifier, was paired with one of those seeded teams and ultimately lost their opportunity to compete without ever having to deal with a delivery. The bitter irony for Nepal is that, when the knockout stage came and the rain persisted, their most remarkable tournament result—the victory over Afghanistan—was worthless.
What will happen to Sri Lanka in the 2026 Asian Games?
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Sri Lanka will play India, the reigning champions, in the men’s cricket semifinal. Following the abandonment of their quarterfinal match against Afghanistan on September 28, 2026, India advanced without playing thanks to their higher ICC T20I ranking.
Due to the weather, neither team has had a chance to prepare for competition at this point in the tournament, hence the semifinal matches two teams that haven’t bowled a single delivery in the elimination stages against one another.
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The gold and bronze medal matches for the men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026 will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026. In a tournament that has been severely hampered by the weather in Nisshin thus far, Sri Lanka must defeat India to advance to the final and contend for the top prize.
The semifinal will be the first significant cricket match played in the men’s competition’s knockout stage if circumstances improve by Thursday.
