India will face Japan in a historic one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, with the two teams meeting in international cricket for the first time.
The match, played under the Suzuki Cup, will begin at 9:30 AM IST and serves as a final warm-up for both sides ahead of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
The fixture is also part of Sport 75, an initiative marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan and aimed at strengthening sporting exchanges between the two countries.
India vs Japan T20I: When and where?
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | India vs Japan, Only T20I |
| Date | September 22, 2026 |
| Venue | Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Japan |
| Start time | 9:30 AM IST |
| Competition | Suzuki Cup |
| India live streaming | FanCode |
| TV telecast | Star Sports Network, Star Sports 1 Hindi |
India enter the match as the reigning T20 world champions and the world’s No. 1-ranked T20I side.
Shreyas Iyer will captain India, with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The squad also includes Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India arrive in Japan after completing a 3-0 T20I series sweep against Afghanistan in New Delhi.
India make changes ahead of Asian Games
India’s squad has undergone a few changes from the group initially selected for the Asian Games.
Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of both the Japan match and the Asian Games because of a side strain, with Vipraj Nigam named as his replacement. Harshit Rana had earlier been ruled out with a thigh muscle injury, while Yash Thakur took his place.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad.
Japan, meanwhile, will field the same squad selected for its Asian Games campaign.
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming will captain the hosts and is Japan’s leading T20I run-scorer. Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb are the other players in the squad with more than 50 T20I appearances.
India vs Japan squads
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.
Japan: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (captain), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wicketkeeper), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wicketkeeper), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.