Nagoya: India will have a packed schedule at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, September 20, with several medal events and important team fixtures lined up across Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Shooters Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod will be among the athletes in focus, while the Indian women’s cricket team will face Bangladesh in the semi-final.
The day’s action will begin early, with India’s athletes competing in wushu, shooting, table tennis, teqball, mixed martial arts, swimming, hockey, cricket, badminton and sepak takraw. The schedule includes multiple medal events, giving India several opportunities to add to its medal tally.
The Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will also be aiming to book a place in the final. As the defending champions, India will face Bangladesh in the second semi-final at 10.30 am IST. A victory will guarantee India at least a silver medal.
Elavenil Valarivan leads shooting focus
One of the major events for India will be the women’s 10m air rifle competition.
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod are scheduled to compete in the qualification round and team final from 6.15 am IST. The individual final is scheduled for 11 am, subject to qualification. Both are listed as medal events.
Valarivan will be one of India’s key names to watch in the event. The shooting competition comes early in the day’s programme and could provide one of the first medal opportunities for the Indian contingent.
The 10m air rifle competition will also test India’s depth, with three shooters competing in the individual qualification and team event.
Quimcy Dsouza has two medal opportunities
Teqball will also be closely watched as Quimcy Dsouza competes in two bronze-medal matches.
Dsouza is scheduled to face Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in the women’s singles bronze-medal match at 6.30 am IST. She will then partner Mohamed Anas Beg in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match against Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Ngih Trinh at 7 am.
The two matches represent India’s opportunities to win its first-ever teqball medal at the Asian Games. Dsouza’s presence in both medal contests makes her one of the central figures in India’s schedule on Sunday.
The closely timed matches will also present a physical challenge, with Dsouza required to compete in singles before returning to the court for mixed doubles.
India vs Bangladesh in women’s cricket semi-final
Cricket will be another major attraction on the second day of India’s Asian Games campaign.
The Indian women’s team will take on Bangladesh in the second semi-final at 10.30 am IST. The match carries added importance because the winner will secure a place in the gold-medal match, while the losing team will still have the opportunity to compete for bronze.
India enter the competition as defending champions. The team will therefore be looking to progress to another final and remain in contention for another Asian Games gold medal.
The cricket semi-final is among the day’s major team events alongside hockey, badminton and table tennis.
Hockey teams begin their campaigns
Both Indian hockey teams will be in action on Sunday.
The women’s team will face Uzbekistan in Pool B at 7.30 am IST, while the men’s team will take on Indonesia in Pool A at 11.30 am.
The men’s team enters the Asian Games as the defending champion, making its opening fixture an important start to its campaign. The women’s team will also begin its pool-stage journey, with the Uzbekistan match providing the first opportunity to establish momentum in the group.
Table tennis teams face multiple fixtures
India’s table tennis teams will have a busy day, with both the women’s and men’s teams playing twice.
The women’s team will face Indonesia at 6.30 am before taking on Singapore at 12.30 pm. The men’s team will meet Indonesia at 9 am and Iran at 3 pm.
The four matches will make table tennis one of the busiest disciplines for the Indian contingent on Sunday.
Wushu and MMA also offer medal opportunities
Wushu will begin India’s day at 5.30 am, when Suraj Singh Mayanglambam competes in the men’s Changquan final. The event is listed as a medal event.
Later, Aparna will face Iran’s Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women’s 52kg Sanda round of 16 at 3.10 pm. Vikrant Baliyan will compete against Iran’s Soheil Mousavi in the men’s 75kg Sanda round of 16 at 4.50 pm.
Mixed martial arts will also feature Indian athletes. Suchika Tariyal will compete in the women’s traditional 60kg quarter-final against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa at 7.10 am. Varun Sanyal is scheduled for the men’s traditional 77kg quarter-final at 2 pm, with his opponent listed as TBC in the schedule.
Swimming and badminton action
India’s swimmers will also be in action during the morning session.
Akash Mani will compete in the men’s 100m freestyle, while Utkarsh Patil and Rishabh Das are scheduled for the men’s 100m backstroke. Their respective heats are listed at 7.22 am and 7.37 am IST.
Badminton will also begin its Asian Games campaign on Sunday. The Indian women’s team will face Kazakhstan in the opening round of 16 at 11.30 am IST.
The team event will be an important starting point for India’s badminton contingent, with the knockout format putting added importance on each tie.
Sepak takraw rounds off India’s schedule
India will also participate in the men’s team regu preliminary group of sepak takraw.
The Indian squad includes Arun Raju, Jasvir Sukhbir Singh, Ashish Chundawat, Shyam Chundawat, Lokhon Singh Elangbam, Bobby Kumar, Ashok Singh Mayengbam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Amarjit Singha, Malemnganba Singh Sorokhaibam, Henary Singh Wahengbam and Akash Yumnam.
With action spread across several sports and venues, Sunday promises to be one of the busiest days of India’s early Asian Games campaign.
India’s full schedule on September 20
All timings are in Indian Standard Time:
| Time | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 5.30 am | Wushu | Suraj Singh Mayanglambam, men’s Changquan final |
| 6.15 am | Shooting | Women’s 10m air rifle qualification and team final |
| 6.30 am | Table tennis | India women’s team vs Indonesia |
| 6.30 am | Teqball | Quimcy Dsouza, women’s singles bronze-medal match |
| 7.00 am | Teqball | Quimcy Dsouza/Mohamed Anas Beg, mixed doubles bronze-medal match |
| 7.10 am | MMA | Suchika Tariyal, women’s traditional 60kg quarter-final |
| 7.22 am | Swimming | Akash Mani, men’s 100m freestyle heat |
| 7.30 am | Hockey | India women’s team vs Uzbekistan |
| 7.37 am | Swimming | Utkarsh Patil and Rishabh Das, men’s 100m backstroke heats |
| 9.00 am | Table tennis | India men’s team vs Indonesia |
| 10.30 am | Cricket | India women vs Bangladesh, semi-final |
| 11.00 am | Shooting | Women’s 10m air rifle individual final, subject to qualification |
| 11.30 am | Hockey | India men’s team vs Indonesia |
| 11.30 am | Badminton | India women’s team vs Kazakhstan |
| 12.30 pm | Table tennis | India women’s team vs Singapore |
| 2.00 pm | MMA | Varun Sanyal, men’s traditional 77kg quarter-final |
| 3.00 pm | Table tennis | India men’s team vs Iran |
| 3.10 pm | Wushu | Aparna, women’s 52kg Sanda round of 16 |
| 4.50 pm | Wushu | Vikrant Baliyan, men’s 75kg Sanda round of 16 |
The schedule makes September 20 an important day for the Indian contingent, with medal events in shooting, wushu and teqball alongside major team competitions. Elavenil Valarivan and India’s shooting trio will be among the first medal contenders in action, while Quimcy Dsouza has two opportunities to fight for a podium finish. The women’s cricket semi-final and the opening hockey and badminton fixtures will also command significant attention.