Cricket’s Olympic Comeback: A New Era of Competition, But No India-Pakistan Clash

July 21, 2025- Kolkata, India: Almost 128 years after cricket, the gentleman’s sport, is going to make a grand return into the Olympics, with both men’s and women’s T20 games already planned out for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, despite receiving the happy news, many cricket fans are disappointed that India vs Pakistan is not going to happen. According to a report by Forbes, only 1 Asian team will be eligible to play at the LA Olympics, 2028, making it impossible for the arch-rivals to face each other.

ICC on the Qualification Model

Some reports stated that there will be only 6 teams in each of the slots, both for men and women. The host nation, the USA, will occupy a spot in both, which leaves five spots empty. The report also explained that the International Cricket Board (ICC) is leaning towards a regional model of qualification where only the top-ranked T20 teams from each of the four regions- Oceania, Asia, Africa and Europe will qualify for the final spot.

This decision means that only 1 team from the Asian region needs to qualify for the spot, making India the top contender for the spot while Pakistan needs to battle it out through the qualifier rounds. In the upcoming Annual General Meeting(AGM) in Singapore, all the ICC board members will decide on how the qualification process will work.

Qualification Process Sparks Controversy

Some members of the cricket board council are against the ranking qualification decision, where they stated that it would be unfair for the rest of the teams, and instead they want qualifying tournaments for the teams to qualify for the spot. Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket and also a member of the board council and the Olympic group, has urged that the qualifying tournament should be for all the teams, not just ranking or member nations.

Mukuhlani stated that “We should really make the most of cricket being in the Olympics and have qualifying tournaments instead of rankings, which don’t make sense in terms of trying to develop the sport.” Meanwhile, other representatives argued that using the ranking system would be much easier than the qualifying tournament rounds due to the packed cricket schedule. But they want the decision to be taken equally so that cricket remains a part of the Olympics for a long time.

Sumod Damodar, one of the main Associate member representatives on the Chief Executives’ Committee highlighted on the issue and stated that “Discussions will be focused on what is the best option and there is the cost factor to consider, but inclusivity has to be a factor too and it would be great to showcase a curtain raiser before the Olympics.”

About the LA28 Olympics Cricket Matches

The cricket matches are going to be played from 12th to 29th July, 2028, in a temporary stadium in Pomona, which is located around 50km from Los Angeles. The medal ceremony matches are going to be played from 20th to 29th July. The cricket matches are going to start just two days before the main event.