India will face Japan in a historic Men's T20I |IMAGE - courtesy - AP/Japan Cricket Assocation/PM Modi Instagram | AI GENERATED GRAPHIC The Indian and Japanese men's cricket teams will play each other for the first time ever on September 22 ahead of the 2026 Asian Games at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture. The historic fixture will kickstart the 'Sports 75' initiative agreed upon between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The match will start at 1:00 PM local time (9:30 AM IST) and will be known as the Suzuki Cup and sponsored by the 'SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION'. The Japanese Cricket Association (JCA) has revealed that the venue will be transformed for this match to allow up to 2,000 from the usual 500 capacity. Tickets are set to be made available shortly on the home board's website. There is no announcement yet on the broadcaster. The scheme '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 fixture will also launch the celebration of 75 years of India and Japan's diplomatic relations. The match will also be the first-ever match that the Indian male team will play on Japanese soil and serve as ideal preparation for their first outing in the continental event. The Shreyas Iyer-led side have got a bye to the quarter-finals (alongside Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) and will play their first game on September 28 against the runner-ups of Group (Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal). The Japan men's team will play a Test-playing nation in an international fixture for the first time when they play India. They have never played the Men's Asia Cup. They were part of the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou but suffered a group stage exit after finishing second in their group behind Hong Kong. They registered their first win in the competition against Cambodia. This India-Japan men's team will play each other for the first time just four days after the first meeting between their women's teams, who will play the quarter-final of the Asian Games on September 18. As mentioned above, if Japan qualifies as the second-placed team in their group, they will play each other at the same stage in the men's tournament. “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 longstanding 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. " The BCCI believes that the growth of cricket must extend beyond its traditional territories, and as the world’s largest cricket board, we recognise our responsibility to contribute to that growth. The BCCI will work closely with the JCA to further strengthen cricket in Japan and to build on this relationship in the years ahead," said BCCI secretary Devajit Saikai. “To be able to invite the reigning World Champions to then home of cricket in Japan is a landmark moment for our association. 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," said JCA's Naoki Miyaji. Also Read: ‘Best-Ever Asian Games Cricket Facilities’: Japan Cricket Boss Rejects Tent, Toilet, And Hotel Concerns | EXCL The JCA confirmed that both teams will be using the same squad, which is selected for the 2026 Asian Games. Japan: Kandel Fleming Kendel (C), Hinds Chav, Davis Benjamin Go, Miyauchi Sho, Thomas Reo Sakurano, Patmore Alexander Shirai, Slater Katsuma Sugaya, Malcolm Declan Suzuki, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lake Lachlan Yamamoto, Kohei Kubota, Tsuyoshi Takada, Jake Nain Kusuda, Fleming Alesta Kadowaki India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi