Few fixtures can stop a subcontinent the way India vs Pakistan does, and this time the occasion comes with a gold medal attached. On Saturday, 3 October 2026, the two sides meet at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, for the men’s T20 gold-medal match of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. In the short history of Asian Games cricket, there has never been a final quite like it. A full-strength India, packed with IPL stars and a 15-year-old opening sensation, faces a new-look Pakistan side that landed in Japan without most of its famous names and still made it to the last day.
Here is what you will find below: how the tournament was set up, how India and Pakistan each made it to the final, the players most likely to swing it, the start time in your time zone and the channels showing it. There is a match prediction too, plus a look at how the game might play out. If you are planning to catch the IND vs PAK final on the couch, at work or on a big screen somewhere, keep in mind that everything here is based on reports up to 1 October 2026. Teams, timings and weather can still move before the toss, so if match-day news disagrees with anything in this piece, go with the news.
Asian Games 2026 at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Event | Men’s T20 cricket, Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 |
| Venue | Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Teams | 10 (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) |
| Dates | 24 September to 3 October 2026 |
| Gold-medal match | India vs Pakistan, Saturday, 3 October 2026 |
| Closing ceremony | Sunday, 4 October |
| Bronze-medal match | Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, same day |
| India’s captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| Pakistan’s captain | Sahibzada Farhan |
| Title holders | India, winners at Hangzhou in 2023 |
How Asian Games Cricket Got Here
Asian Games cricket is still a young thing. This is only its fourth appearance, after Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014 and Hangzhou in 2023, and this time it is being played as T20s with full international status at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The women got going first, playing from 17 to 22 September, and the men started on 24 September.
The bracket came from the ICC men’s T20I rankings as they stood on 23 July 2026, with the draw made the same day and the fixtures published on 26 August. India and Pakistan were put in opposite halves on purpose, so a final between them was only possible if each side kept winning its knockout games. Quarter-finals came first, then the semi-finals on 1 October, and the medals get settled on 3 October.
Here is the path each side took to get here.
| Stage | India | Pakistan |
| Quarter-final | vs Afghanistan: washed out, India advanced as the higher-ranked side | vs Hong Kong: won by 6 wickets with 9 balls to spare |
| Semi-final (1 Oct) | Beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs | Beat Bangladesh in a rain-shortened chase of 111 in 11.3 overs |
| Final (3 Oct) | vs Pakistan | vs India |
India’s Road to the Final
India arrived in Japan as defending champions after winning men’s gold at Hangzhou 2023, and they brought a far stronger squad this time. At Hangzhou the senior players were focused on the 50-over World Cup that followed. In 2026 there was no such clash, which is why the BCCI could name a full-strength group. Their quarter-final against Afghanistan was lost to the weather. With no competitive ball bowled, India moved on as the higher-ranked side.
The semi-final against Sri Lanka on 1 October was the first real examination. Sent in to bat, India lost Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson inside the first three overs, with only 24 on the board. Ishan Kishan then took charge, finishing unbeaten on 80 off 46 balls to lift India to 169/7. Both teams had picked spin-heavy attacks, with Jasprit Bumrah India’s only specialist fast bowler, and he made the difference. Sri Lanka slipped to 33/6 in the powerplay and were bowled out for just 45, handing India a 124-run win.
The teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was brought into the side for that game. The margin of victory sent a clear message to Pakistan about the standard they now have to match. It also showed the two faces of this Indian team: a top order that can wobble early, and a bowling group that can bury an opponent once the ball is in its hands.
Pakistan’s Road to the Final
Pakistan opened their knockout run on Monday, 28 September, with a six-wicket win over Hong Kong, sealed with nine balls to spare. The first semi-final against Bangladesh on 1 October was shortened by rain. Pakistan chased down 111 in only 11.3 overs, and Abdul Samad’s batting made the headlines. It was a calm, quick and professional chase from a side that had been written off by many before a ball was bowled.
What really stands out is who isn’t there. When the PCB announced Sahibzada Farhan’s 15-man squad on 10 June, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and regular captain Salman Ali Agha were all missing. Four of the names had never played a T20I: Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood. Pakistan finished fourth at Hangzhou 2023, so reaching a gold-medal match is already a big step up for a young group that few people expected to challenge.
Farhan himself has spoken about the pride of leading the side, and the camp prepared with four days of training in Karachi on surfaces designed to copy conditions in Japan, with a special focus on playing spin. The approach has worked so far.
Squads and Players to Watch
Neither side has named its final XI yet. A few predicted line-ups doing the rounds online list players who are not even in the official 15, so it is better to go by the squads below.
India (15): Shreyas Iyer captains, with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The rest of the group is Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan (15): Sahibzada Farhan captains and Abdul Samad is his vice-captain. Also in the group are Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wk). Later team reports also list Mohammad Wasim Jnr, who came in for Mohammad Salman Mirza.
India’s key men
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Only 15, and the youngest player picked for any Indian team at an international event. He topped the IPL 2026 run charts with 776 runs from 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30. A fast start from him in the powerplay could take the game away early.
- Ishan Kishan: His unbeaten 80 off 46 balls bailed India out in the semi-final, and he looks well set for another big one.
- Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson: Along with Kishan they make up India’s usual top three. Both were out inside three overs against Sri Lanka, and Pakistan will be hoping for a repeat.
- Jasprit Bumrah: Back in the T20 side after a rest from the Ireland and England series, and the only specialist quick in an attack built mostly around spin.
- Shreyas Iyer: The 31-year-old replaced Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain in June 2026, and this is his biggest assignment so far. Tilak Varma is his deputy.
- The spinners: Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar give India control in the middle overs, and Arshdeep Singh adds left-arm pace.
Pakistan’s key men
- Sahibzada Farhan: The 30-year-old captain was the leading run-scorer at the 2026 T20 World Cup, with 383 runs at an average of 76.60, a record for a single edition according to the ICC. He has 1,305 runs in 46 T20Is, including two centuries, and is listed as the world’s No. 3 T20 batter.
- Abdul Samad: The vice-captain had played only five T20Is before this tournament. He has grabbed his chance.
- Saim Ayub, Usman Khan and Haider Ali: They bring experience to a squad that is otherwise short of it.
- Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim: The spin pair will be central if Pakistan want to slow India’s powerful top order.
- Ali Raza: The uncapped quick took 4 for 42 in the Under-19 Asia Cup final that Pakistan won against India in December 2025. He knows what beating India feels like.
The PAK vs IND final also carries a contrast in selection. India sent a squad built with the Los Angeles 2028 era in mind, while Pakistan sent a rebuild.
Asian Games Pedigree: What History Says
India’s men only started playing Asian Games cricket in 2023, and they came home from Hangzhou with gold under Ruturaj Gaikwad. Rain spoiled the final against Afghanistan that year, so India got the medal as the higher-ranked team. The women also won gold in 2023, beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final, and they did it again in 2026, with Sri Lanka taking silver and Pakistan bronze.
Pakistan’s men took bronze in 2010, the year cricket made its debut at the Games. Neither India nor Pakistan sent a men’s team to Incheon in 2014. In 2023 Pakistan lost their semi-final to Afghanistan, then lost the bronze-medal match to Bangladesh off the last ball. Pakistan’s women have done better, with two golds. An ind vs pak men’s game at this level is therefore a genuine novelty.
Going by the records, the two men’s teams have never played each other at the Asian Games before, never mind in a final. Whoever wins this India vs Pakistan men’s contest gets a first of their own, and the loser has at least four years to wait for another shot.
A Rivalry With Fresh Chapters
The recent record between the two nations shows how unpredictable this contest can be. India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai a little over a year back. Pakistan’s juniors got their own back in December 2025, winning the Under-19 Asia Cup final against India. Earlier in 2026 Farhan also rewrote the T20 World Cup run charts, which is why his name carries so much weight in this final. For organisers and broadcasters, a PAK vs IND final was always the dream pairing.
Whenever pak vs ind appears on a fixture list, form tends to count for less than nerve. The ind vs pak contest has a habit of producing one over, one catch or one innings that swings everything. India are the stronger side on paper, but Pakistan have won several of the biggest moments in this rivalry against the odds. Both camps know that history, and both will use it. For Indian fans the memory of recent finals is a source of confidence. For Pakistani fans, the fact that this squad was written off makes an upset feel even sweeter.
How the Final Could Be Won: Phase by Phase
T20 matches are won and lost in three distinct phases, and the IND vs PAK final will likely be settled in the first of them. Here is how each phase could shape the contest.
The powerplay (overs 1 to 6). This is where the semi-final showed India’s only weakness. Two early wickets exposed a top order that relies on attacking from ball one. If Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers can pitch it up and take wickets, India’s batting depth will be tested. If India’s openers survive, Sooryavanshi, Kishan and Abhishek can take the game away before Pakistan’s spinners enter.
The middle overs (7 to 15). Both teams have built their squads around spin. Pakistan have Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim. India have Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Bishnoi and Washington Sundar. The team that rotates strike better and avoids losing a cluster of wickets will win this phase. Pakistan trained specifically for spin in Karachi, so expect them to be calm against India’s slow bowlers.
The death overs (16 to 20). Bumrah and Arshdeep are the best pair of death bowlers in the tournament. If a close finish develops, India have the clear advantage. Pakistan’s best chance of winning a tight game is to avoid one, either by chasing quickly as they did against Bangladesh or by posting a total that India have to chase under pressure.
Match Timing: What Time Does the Final Start?
Matches at this tournament have used two daily slots in Japan, 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM. The final falls in the afternoon slot, and most outlets list a 2:00 PM JST start. Here is what that means for the IND vs PAK match in your time zone.
| Country / Region | Start time (3 October) |
| Japan (JST) | 2:00 PM |
| India (IST) | 10:30 AM |
| Pakistan (PKT) | 10:00 AM |
| Bangladesh | 11:00 AM |
| Sri Lanka | 10:30 AM |
| UAE (GST) | 9:00 AM |
| UK (BST) | 6:00 AM |
| USA & Canada (ET) | 1:00 AM |
One schedule listing shows a 1:30 PM local start, which would be 10:00 AM in India. Check the official schedule on the morning of the match.
IND vs PAK Where to Watch: TV and Live Streaming Guide
Fans asking where to watch IND vs PAK have simple answers in most markets. Broadcast rights differ by country, so here is what had been reported by 1 October.
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| India | Sony Sports Network | SonyLIV (app and website) |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports | PTV digital platforms |
| UAE and Middle East | beIN Sports | beIN SPORTS CONNECT |
| USA and Canada | Willow TV | Willow TV, Sling TV (Desi Bingee Plus or Dakshin Flex) |
| UK | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Sony Sports Network holds the Asian Games broadcast rights in India, so India vs Pakistan live streaming is on SonyLIV. Willow TV carries the competition across the United States and Canada, with Sling TV as an alternative for those without a cable package. For viewers in the UK, no broadcaster had confirmed rights as things stood, so the question of where to watch IND vs PAK is harder there. Text commentary and international streams may be the only options.
If you cannot get a stream anywhere, India vs Pakistan live scores and ball-by-ball commentary are available on the major cricket sites and apps. Check your subscription ahead of time, because an early-morning start leaves little room for last-minute login problems.
India vs Pakistan Match Prediction: Who Has the Edge?
Any India vs Pakistan match prediction has to start with the caveat that T20 is the most volatile format in the sport. A final can turn on a single over. With that said, here are the cases for each side.
The case for India. They are the higher-ranked team, the defending champions and the side with the deeper bench. Their batting runs from Abhishek, Samson, Kishan and Sooryavanshi at the top to Tilak and Dube in the middle. They have four quality spinners, plus Bumrah and Arshdeep to bowl at the start and the end. The 124-run semi-final win was a statement.
The case for Pakistan. They have nothing to lose and a captain in the form of his life. They have also won both knockout games while chasing, a useful habit if they bowl first. Their spinners could create trouble in the middle overs. India’s top order wobbled in the semi-final, and a couple of early wickets could drag the match into uncertain territory.
The key battles:
- The powerplay: India lost two wickets in three overs against Sri Lanka, and Pakistan will try to repeat that. Without Shaheen and Rauf, their pace attack is less proven, so the new bowlers must deliver.
- Farhan against Bumrah: If Farhan survives the first six overs, he can win the match on his own. Bumrah is the one bowler who can stop that.
- Spin in the middle overs: Both teams lean on spin, so the side that handles the other’s spinners better will control the game.
- The toss: Pakistan have been comfortable chasing, but India have shown they can post a total after a poor start.
Our lean is India, because of rankings, depth and form. The margin is narrower than the rankings suggest, though, because Pakistan have a player who can take a match away in six overs. This is analysis, not a guarantee. An IND vs PAK final in a short format rarely follows the script.
Weather, Rain Rules and the Shared-Gold Scenario
Rain has been a recurring character at these Games. India’s quarter-final was washed out, Pakistan’s semi-final was shortened, and several women’s matches were affected. Forecasts were good for semi-final day, but check the Saturday forecast before you plan around a full 40 overs.
Reports say that if the final is washed out entirely, India and Pakistan will share the gold medal. This is different from earlier rounds, where a washout meant the higher-ranked or higher-seeded team advanced. A rain-hit IND vs PAK match could also be cut to a handful of overs, which would make power-hitting even more important and reward the side with the deeper hitting line-up. In a heavily shortened game, the team that bats second often has the clearer target, which suits Pakistan’s recent habits.
A Simple Match-Day Checklist for Fans
- Search for IND vs PAK where to watch details for your country early, then confirm the start time on the official schedule, since listings differ by half an hour.
- Check your broadcaster or app and sign in the night before.
- Look at the weather forecast for Nisshin on Saturday morning.
- Read the team news after the toss, because the confirmed XIs may differ from the squads above.
- Keep an eye on the powerplay, since that is where this final is most likely to be decided. Before the IND vs PAK match begins, settle your snacks and your seat.
Why This Final Matters Beyond the Medal
- It is the first time the two men’s teams have met at the Asian Games, as far as records show.
- Cricket returns to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028, for the first time since Paris 1900. India’s full-strength squad shows how seriously the BCCI takes that goal, and Asian Games cricket now works as a dress rehearsal for the Olympic stage.
- A pak vs ind showdown with this much youth on show is rare. It is a showcase for young talent, from Sooryavanshi in India to Ali Raza and the uncapped names in Pakistan’s squad.
- Every ind vs pak game tests nerve, and this one tests Pakistan’s rebuild too, since this side was assembled without its biggest stars.
- It gives India a chance to defend a title and Iyer a chance to win his first major trophy as India’s T20I captain.
Closing Thoughts
From a rain-hit gold in Hangzhou to a first-ever men’s meeting at the Games, the road to this final has been full of storylines. India come in with the stronger squad, the better ranking and the momentum of a 124-run win. Pakistan come in with a hot captain, a young group playing without fear and a long history of winning when nobody expects it. Whatever happens in Nisshin, the India vs Pakistan clash will once again stop two nations and draw a worldwide audience.
Do plan around the 10:30 AM IST start, check the live-streaming options for your country, and keep an eye on the weather, because the final is on Saturday, 3 October. The PAK vs IND final promises to be a fitting end to the cricket at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and the India vs Pakistan final will be remembered for a long time, whichever way it goes.
FAQs
It is scheduled for Saturday, 3 October 2026, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The closing ceremony is the next day.
Most reports list a 2:00 PM JST start, which is 10:30 AM IST. One listing shows 1:30 PM local, so confirm the time on match day.
The match is on the Sony Sports Network, with live streaming on SonyLIV.
Shreyas Iyer leads India, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. Sahibzada Farhan leads Pakistan, with Abdul Samad as vice-captain.
India are favoured on ranking, squad depth and recent form, but Pakistan have enough match-winners to make it close.
Sooryavanshi, Kishan and Bumrah for India, and Farhan, Samad and the spin pair of Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim for Pakistan.
Source: ICC Cricket
