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India and Japan will play their first-ever men's T20 International on 22 September 2026 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
The fixture is named the Suzuki Cup and opens celebrations leading to 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations, completed in 2027.
It falls under Sport 75, a bilateral sporting initiative agreed at the summit between PM Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi.
The match doubles as a warm-up before the cricket competition of the Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya.
Japan is an Associate Member of the ICC; India enter as reigning ICC Men's T20 World Cup champions.
National governing body for cricket in India; sending the Indian team to Sano
Official governing body for cricket in Japan; host association for the fixture
Global governing body that grants official T20I status; Japan is an Associate Member
Promote sporting cooperation and people-to-people exchange between India and Japan in the run-up to 75 years of diplomatic ties in 2027.
Key: Agreed at the summit between PM Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi; the Suzuki Cup T20I is its opening event, and the initiative also notes India's ambition to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Sano lies in Tochigi Prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu, north of Tokyo, and its cricket ground is the centre of Japanese cricket. The Asian Games cricket competition is elsewhere - Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture, in central Honshu around Nagoya.
India and Japan establish diplomatic relations.
India beat New Zealand by 96 runs at Ahmedabad to retain the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
The Suzuki Cup T20I between India and Japan is announced.
Asian Games 2026 open at Aichi-Nagoya.
India play Japan in their first men's T20I at Sano.
Men's cricket competition of the Asian Games.
75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations formally completed.
General Awareness > Sports and Current Events
General Awareness > Sports Current Affairs
Name given to the India-Japan men's T20I of 22 September 2026, opening the 75-years-of-ties celebrations.
Membership category for countries where cricket is organised but which do not hold Test status; Japan is one.
A 20-overs-per-side match between two national teams carrying official international status granted by the ICC.