BENGALURU: The Indian men's T20I side will be meeting Japan in a special one-off game on September 22. Named the Suzuki Cup, the one-off match, an official international, 'will take place at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on Tuesday, 22nd September 2026,' according to a press release issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"The match will be the first step of 'Sport 75', an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, taking note of India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036," the release added.
This is the first time that the two men's teams will take part in an official senior international. Japan, currently ranked 41st in the world, will be the 20th team that the Indian men's side will face in a full international.
BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, said: "The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men's teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan. This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia.
"India and Japan share a strong and long-standing relationship and friendship, and we are pleased that cricket will be part of the celebrations marking 75 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, and we thank the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) for its efforts in making this fixture possible."
It's likely that even if there may not be any future matches between the two nations, the JCA and the BCCI will work with one another going forward. "The BCCI will work closely with the JCA to further strengthen cricket in Japan and to build on this relationship in the years ahead," Saikia added.
The men's team will of course be in Japan during that time as part of their preparations for the Asian Games. As part of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the men's side are scheduled to play the quarterfinals on September 28, six days after their historic match against the hosts.
Considering this match comes immediately after the culmination of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan from 13th to 17th, it's likely that the squad will leave directly from New Delhi on the 18th.
While cricket at the Asian Games will be held in Nisshin in Aichi Prefecture, the one-off game will be held in Sano in Tochigi Prefecture. The distance between the two venues is more than 350 kms.
JCA CEO Naoki Miyaji said: "To be able to invite the reigning world champions to the home of cricket in Japan is a landmark moment for our association," JCA CEO, Naoki Miyaji, was quoted as saying in the same BCCI press release. "We thank the BCCI for working with us towards this goal and greatly look forward to welcoming the passion of Indian cricket fans, and we actively encourage any local Japanese people curious about cricket to come and cheer on our team in what will be a truly memorable occasion."
India squad for the 2026 Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
