Revealed: Why BCCI made separate accommodation for India men at Asian Games while women stay in official facilities
· Yahoo Sports
Revealed: Why BCCI made separate accommodation for India men at Asian Games while women stay in official facilities originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit sportbet.rodeo for more information.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The BCCI arranged separate accommodation for the men's cricket team in Japan due to the support staff exceeding official facility limits.
- Women's team is staying in the official Asian Games village as their contingent falls within the permissible 20-member limit.
- BCCI secretary Saikia dismissed secondary importance concerns, saying an Asian Games gold medal is as valuable as any other title.
Explained: Why BCCI arranged separate accommodation for the Indian men's cricket team at asian games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya
While the Indian women's cricket side is staying in the Asian Games official facilities provided by the organising committee, the men's team has its own separate arrangement.
The BCCI's men's cricket contingent is larger than the standard ceiling the organising committee allows.
When a full-strength squad travels with the complete support ecosystem, coaches, trainers, analysts, physios and more, the total headcount exceeds what the official accommodation is set up to absorb for a single delegation.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia explained the rationale and told The Times of India: "BCCI has arranged its own arrangement for the men’s team since the contingent is much bigger than the permissible number of members because of the size of the support staff. We don’t want to segregate the men’s team during the tournament.
"The women’s team is staying in the facilities provided by the organising committee since the size of the contingent is within the permissible number of 20 members."
Some Asian cricket boards have reportedly raised complaints about the quality of facilities at the match venue in Japan. Saikia, however, made clear that the BCCI's position is one of confidence rather than concern.
"We fully trust the organising committee to give the best facilities. This is a big event and I am sure they will do what is required. I'll be reaching there on Oct 1. Only then I can give you a clear picture of the circumstances," he added.
Why did India send a full-strength team to the Asian Games despite the ODI World Cup cycle beginning?
India's home ODI series against the West Indies overlaps, and the 2027 World Cup preparations are already underway.
At Hangzhou 2023, India won gold with a second-string squad precisely because the senior players were being held back for the ODI World Cup that followed. This time, the calculation has been made differently.
"We are eyeing a gold medal which is very important," he said. "We all know India can field three strong teams at a time. We see Asian Games as a very important assignment which can’t be given secondary treatment.
"That’s why our full-strength team including Bumrah and regular captain Iyer is going. An Asian Games gold is as important as any other big tournament."
MORE: Japan cricket ready for test against the best ahead of India T20I meeting
India cricket schedule at Asian Games 2026
India women's schedule
India's women's team opens their schedule with a quarter-final match against host nation Japan on September 18. Should they win, the semi-final matches will take place on September 20, followed by gold and bronze medal matches on September 22.
MORE:Who will broadcast the India vs. Japan cricket match in India?
DateMatchTime (IST)September 18Quarter-final: India vs Japan5:30 a.m.September 20Bangladesh vs India10:30 a.m.September 22Bronze/gold medal match, if applicable/qualified10:30 a.m.Men's cricket tournament
India's men start their schedule straight in the quarter finals on September 28. The semi-finals will be played on October 1, and gold and bronze medal matches will follow on October 3.
DateMatchTime (IST)September 28Quarter-final10:30 a.m.October 1Semi-final, if qualified10:30 a.m.October 3Bronze/gold medal match, if applicable/qualified10:30 a.m.For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.