India and Japan to play historic T20I cricket match in 2026

India and Japan will face each other in a historic one-off men’s T20I cricket match on September 22, 2026, at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi, Japan. The fixture is the inaugural event under the ‘Sport 75’ initiative, an agreement from an India-Japan Prime Ministers’ summit designed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and people-to-people exchanges through sport. The match also commemorates the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming noted the unprecedented scale of the event, anticipating crowds of up to 3,000 spectators and significant logistical and security requirements. To accommodate the match, the Sano International Cricket Ground is being prepared to host a much larger audience than its usual capacity of 500.

Regarding broadcasting, ITW Universe has secured partnerships to bring the match to Indian audiences. Star Sports Network will hold the exclusive television rights in India, while FanCode will provide exclusive streaming rights. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM local time.