India is set to create history on September 22, 2026, when the men’s team plays its first-ever T20 International against Japan at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture. The one-off fixture, branded the Suzuki Cup, forms the opening event of celebrations marking 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations and launches the “Sport 75” initiative.
The match stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “Sport 75” aims to promote people-to-people exchanges and sporting cooperation between the two nations, with India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036 also noted as part of the broader context.
Japan will become the 20th team India has faced in T20Is. The hosts are ranked 41st in the ICC men’s T20I rankings, while India — the reigning ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions and world No. 1 — will use the game as valuable preparation for the Asian Games cricket competition that begins shortly afterward in Aichi-Nagoya.
Match Details
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Venue: Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Tochigi Prefecture (approximately 100 km from Tokyo)
Start Time: 9:30 AM IST (1:00 PM local time)
Toss: Around 9:00 AM IST
Trophy: Suzuki Cup
The ground’s normal capacity of around 500 has been expanded to approximately 2,000 for the high-profile fixture. Tickets sold out rapidly after going on sale. Sri Lanka Cricket assisted with pitch preparation, supplying groundsmen and clay.
Teams and Leadership
India will be led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The squad (for the Japan T20I and Asian Games) includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam (Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out with a side strain). VVS Laxman is expected to serve as head coach for the Japan/Asian Games assignment.
Japan will be captained by their all-time leading T20I run-scorer Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming. The squad is largely the same as the one selected for the Asian Games and includes Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama and Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.
Broader Significance
BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia called it “a significant moment for cricket” that takes the Indian team to new territory and helps introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia. Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Miyaji described hosting the world champions as a landmark moment for Japanese cricket.
Recent diplomatic warmth has been visible: BCCI President Mithun Manhas and members of the Indian squad met Japan’s Ambassador to India, ONO Keiichi, in Delhi, where the ambassador presented a traditional Daruma good-luck charm
The fixture is more than a cricket match — it is cricket diplomacy in action, bridging two nations through sport and offering Japan a high-profile platform to grow the game in a baseball-dominated country, while giving India useful match practice ahead of the Asian Games.
Where to Watch
(India)Television: Star Sports network
Streaming: FanCode
This historic encounter at Sano promises to be a memorable chapter in both bilateral relations and the global expansion of cricket.