Asian Games (Men) Cricket Semi-Final 2 | IND vs SL | Preview and Predictions

The second semi-final of the Asian Games 2026 cricket competition sees defending champions India take on Sri Lanka. India made their way to the semi-final thanks to their higher-seeding after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was washed out while Sri Lanka made the final four also because of a washout against Nepal and went through due to their higher seeding. 

Ahead of the second semi-final of the Asian Games men’s cricket competition between India and Sri Lanka, here’s our match preview and predictions. 

IND v SL | Semi-Final 2 | 10:30 IST, October 01, 2026

The reigning T20 World Cup champions, India, have brought their first-team to Japan for the Asian Games as they look to defend their title and it is Shreyas Iyer at the helm of the Indian team. Iyer has a strong batting unit as disposal with the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and also Sanju Samson. Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the bowling attack for the Indian team with Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur and Shivam Dube as the other pacers in the team. Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the main spinners with Vipraj Nigam coming in as a late replacement for the injured Varun Chakravarthy. 

Sri Lanka meanwhile have taken an inexperienced team Japan with a host of new faces. Sahan Arachchige, who has plenty of domestic experience but only one T20I under his belt, will be leading the squad. Niroshan Dickwella, Ashen Bandara and Dushan Hemantha are two experienced names in the batting unit while the rest of the batters have under 5 T20Is under their belt. Nuwan Thushara is the experienced name in the bowling attack with Sri Lanka taking a young bowling attack with the likes of Garuka Sanketh and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. Chamika Karunaratne is one of the more experienced all-rounders and he will be handy with the ball. 

While there has not been much cricket at the Nisshin ground, the strip has been a slow one with assistance for spinners. India’s strong batting unit will set them apart for a big score regardless of where they are playing and India starts as clear favourites against not the strongest Sri Lankan side. 

Fantasy XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sahan Arachchige, Shreyas Iyer, Nuwanidu Fernando, Axar Patel, Chamika Karunaratne, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Nuwan Thushara, Ravi Bishnoi

Venue: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan

Winners Prediction: India