India’s Asian Games 2026 Cricket Teams: Can the Defending Champions Repeat Their 2022 Double Gold?

When cricket returns to the Asian Games in 2026, India will arrive with something few teams can claim: gold medals to defend in both the men's and women's competitions.

India swept the cricket titles at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, with the women's team beating Sri Lanka in the final and the men's side being awarded gold after their final against Afghanistan was washed out. Four years later, India has named strong squads for Aichi-Nagoya and will attempt to repeat that double success.

The teams, however, are not simply the same groups returning to defend their crowns. There are significant changes, particularly in the men's squad, making the 2026 tournament an opportunity to see how India's next generation performs on the continental stage.

India's 2022 campaign could hardly have ended better. The women's team began its knockout campaign with a quarter-final against Malaysia, but the match was abandoned without a result after India had been restricted to 173/2 in 15 overs and Malaysia managed only 1/0 from 0.2 overs.

India then faced Bangladesh in the semi-final and made light work of the contest. Bangladesh were bowled out for 51 in 17.5 overs before India chased the target in just 8.2 overs, winning by eight wickets.

The final against Sri Lanka was a more substantial contest. India posted 116/7 in their 20 overs, led by Smriti Mandhana's 46 from 45 balls. Sri Lanka could manage only 97/8, giving India a 19-run victory and the women's gold medal.

The men's team followed with gold of their own.

India defeated Nepal by 23 runs in the quarter-final, scoring 202/4 before restricting Nepal to 179/9. In the semi-final, Bangladesh were beaten by nine wickets after being held to 96/9.

The final against Afghanistan, however, was washed out. Afghanistan had reached 112/5 in 18.2 overs before rain ended proceedings. With no further play possible, India was awarded the gold medal on seeding.

A stronger women's squad on paper

The 2026 women's team contains several familiar names but also a different balance from the Hangzhou campaign.

Harmanpreet Kaur has been named captain, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The squad also includes Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalana Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Shree Charani, and Renuka Singh Thakur. Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma and Pratika Rawal complete the squad.

The depth across batting, wicketkeeping, spin, and pace gives India plenty of options.

There is also a direct connection to the 2022 gold-medal team through players such as Smriti, while several members of the current squad represent the next phase of India's women's cricket program.

India's women's campaign begins in the quarter-finals against Japan on September 18.

The men's team is arguably even more intriguing. Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

It is a squad packed with established international names as well as emerging talent.

The inclusion of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, in particular, gives the team a youthful dimension, while the presence of players such as Bumrah, Arshdeep, Axar, Sanju and Abhishek provides considerable international experience. Unlike the women's team, the men's side receives a bye into the knockout stages and will play its quarter-final on September 28.

Can India repeat the 2022 success?

That is the central question. The circumstances of India's two gold medals in Hangzhou were very different. The women won their final outright, defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs. The men did not get to complete their final against Afghanistan because of rain and were awarded the title on seeding.

There will therefore be a desire in Aichi-Nagoya not merely to retain the medals but to produce another convincing tournament campaign. The biggest advantage India possesses is depth.

The men's squad contains players capable of changing matches with either bat or ball, while the women's team has a mixture of experienced stars and younger players who have already featured prominently in India's domestic and international setup. The challenge will come from the nature of knockout cricket. There is little room for recovery once a team suffers a poor performance, and the shorter format can produce dramatic results in a single match.

India will also be entering the tournament as the team everyone wants to beat.

From Hangzhou champions to Aichi-Nagoya favorites

The 2026 Asian Games will therefore be less about proving that India can win cricket gold and more about demonstrating that the country can sustain its dominance across successive editions.

In 2022, India walked away with both titles. In 2026, both teams return as defending champions, but with squads that have evolved considerably.

The women's side has Harmanpreet and Smriti providing leadership, while the men's team combines Shreyas Iyer with a deep collection of international performers. The format will be unforgiving, and the knockout stages can leave no room for complacency.

But the target is unmistakable. Two gold medals went back to India from Hangzhou.

The defending champions now have Aichi-Nagoya in their sights, with another double in cricket firmly within their ambitions.