On Thursday, October 1, India delivered a commanding all-round performance to defeat Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final of the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games, held at the Korogi Sports Park in Nishin. This victory sets up a final clash against Pakistan.
India defeat Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first. Although India lost two early wickets, Vaibhav Suryavanshi steadied the innings. Ishan Kishan then took the innings forward, and thanks to his unbeaten 80 runs, India posted a total of 169 for 7. While not massive, it was a solid total considering the playing conditions.
Sri Lanka’s chase of 170 runs faltered almost immediately. They were 1 for 2 after the first over, 18 for 5 after four overs, and 33 for 6 after six overs. Spinner Axar Patel played a pivotal role in this collapse, finishing his spell with figures of 3-1-8-2.
The match came to a swift conclusion. Abhishek Sharma claimed two wickets in his solitary 0.5-over spell; he had Chamika Karunaratne stumped by Sanju Samson and bowled Binura Fernando. Earlier, Tilak Varma had run out Tharindu Ratnayake. In no time, the Sri Lankan team was bowled out for just 45 runs in 9.5 overs.
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With this result, India remains on track to defend the gold medal title won at the previous Asian Games. They will face Pakistan in the gold medal match on October 3, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will compete for the bronze medal. Brief scores: India 169/7 (20 overs; Ishan Kishan 80*) defeated Sri Lanka 45 all out (9.5 overs; Abhishek Sharma 2/2, Axar Patel 2/8) by 124 runs.
