Concerns over the cricket infrastructure and player accommodation for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan have emerged among several of Asia’s leading boards just weeks before the competition begins. According to a report by Cricbuzz journalist Vijay Tagore, the issues were discussed at a recent Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Bangkok, with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan among the Full Members concerned about the arrangements.
The Games will feature 10 men’s cricket teams and eight women’s teams, placing significant demands on facilities that are still being prepared for the competition. The concerns span both the playing venue and the logistical arrangements surrounding where participating cricketers will stay.
Accommodation options raise concerns
The accommodation situation has become one of the central issues for participating boards. Teams have been presented with options that include staying in the city and travelling to the venue by bullet train, accommodation aboard a nearby ship or marquee-style facilities.
Hotel room sizes have also caused concern because players will need sufficient space for their personal belongings and substantial cricket equipment. An official told The Indian Express: “It is a genuine problem, since the rooms are very tiny. If one player opens a kitbag, there won’t be much space left to stand. We are trying to figure out a solution to this problem.”
Unlike previous editions featuring a conventional Athletes’ Village, participants at Aichi-Nagoya will be distributed among different types of accommodation. Cricketers are among the athletes scheduled to stay in hotels in Nagoya.
Questions emerge over the cricket venue
Attention has also turned to Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin City, where the Asian Games cricket competition will be staged. The facility was previously used for baseball before being adapted for cricket, with work to make it cricket-ready completed earlier this year.
The venue includes a hybrid pitch square and temporary spectator stands, while it staged the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in May. That tournament provided limited competitive use of the newly developed cricket infrastructure ahead of the Asian Games.
The Indian Express reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board first raised concerns about the facilities during an ACC meeting, after which members including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan discussed the situation. A source told the Indian Express: “It is a very rudimentary ground, and there remains a question mark over the quality of the pitch. It has been laid very recently and, apart from one tournament, that too in May, hasn’t been tested much. There are no proper dressing rooms as well.”
Following those discussions, the ACC is expected to send representatives to inspect both the venue and accommodation. The BCCI has also discussed the arrangements with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), while the Asian Games Organising Committee has emerged as the relevant body for addressing technical venue matters.
ICC acknowledges work remains
Preparations at the venue are continuing with the competition approaching. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta shared footage of the facility on social media and wrote that it “…is almost ready and is set to be unveiled at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. There is still some work to be done before it can welcome 10 men’s and 8 women’s teams from Asia and match officials as well as fans from across the world but the team ACC and ICC is on the job (sic).”
The official Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games website presents the facility as part of Japan’s developing cricket infrastructure: “This facility is a sports park located in Nisshin City, where a cricket ground was developed for the Asian Games. It is the second facility in Japan to feature a natural grass pitch that meets the requirements for hosting international competitions.”
The combination of a recently developed playing surface, temporary infrastructure and accommodation questions has therefore left participating boards seeking greater clarity before their teams arrive.
B-team suggestion meets conflicting reports
ANI raised the possibility that concerns over the facilities could affect the composition of India’s squads. A BCCI source told ANI: “BCCI and ACC are not happy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan, and the board will send an observer there. The observer will submit its report to us, and if arrangements are not up to the mark, we could consider sending a B team there.”
The same source added: “We told the Japan Olympics officials during the ACC in a meeting that the dressing rooms were set up in tents and washrooms were just 500 m away from those tents, which has created an unsatisfying situation for the players. Also, the hotel rooms are really small, and it is a big concern.”
However, the suggestion of India replacing its selected squads with second-string teams has subsequently been disputed. Cricbuzz reported that the BCCI remained set to send full-strength sides and that, at the time of its report, there had been no development towards fielding B teams. Another BCCI source cited by NDTV similarly ruled out plans to send a second-string Indian side while acknowledging the concerns surrounding the facilities.
India currently set to send full-strength squads
India’s selected teams underline the significance of any potential change. Shreyas Iyer is set to lead a men’s squad featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and other established international players.
Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the women’s side, with Smriti Mandhana among the senior players selected. India enter the Games as defending men’s cricket champions after taking gold at Hangzhou 2023 when the final against Afghanistan was washed out and India prevailed on their higher seeding.
Cricket begins before the Asian Games opening ceremony, with the women’s competition starting on September 17 and its final scheduled for September 22. The wider Games run from September 19 to October 4, while the men’s cricket competition concludes with the gold-medal match on October 3.
For now, the focus remains on the inspections and preparations in Japan as organisers work towards hosting 18 cricket teams. Despite the concerns surrounding the venue and accommodation, India’s full-strength squads remain in place ahead of the Games.
