BCCI breaks silence on Asian Games concerns, Saikia promises ‘best facilities’ for cricketers in India

ByTech Word News

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to allay concerns over accommodation and logistical arrangements for the Indian cricket squad at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with secretary Devajit Saikia insisting there is no immediate problem but vowing the board will intervene if necessary.Ahead of the multi-sport event in Japan, questions have been raised about the facilities available to the participating cricket teams, particularly accommodation and infrastructure. The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) said the teams have been offered hotel accommodation and are also free to make their own arrangements.Speaking after a review session at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday, Saikia said the board was confident in India’s arrangements and would not hesitate to set up its own system if the situation called for it.“There is no such issue that we have discussed or that is on our agenda today or before today. So we will not have any difficulties in Japan. If any situation arises, we will take the appropriate call at the right time to ensure that our players and support staff get the best facilities at the Asian Games, whether it is from the organizers.”“If required, the BCCI will have its own system to provide the best facilities to our players,” Saikia told reporters.

Japan is all about accommodation

The assurance comes amid wider logistical questions surrounding the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Organizers confirmed last week that accommodation had been provided for all registered athletes and officials despite an entry of more than 17,000, with participants to be accommodated in hotels, temporary accommodation and a cruise ship rather than the traditional athletes’ village.In the case of cricket, JCA CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji sought to ease concerns by offering hotel accommodation to participating teams.India enter the Asian Games as the defending champions in both men’s and women’s T20 cricket. The men’s side will be led by Shreyas Iyer while the women’s captain will be Harmanpreet Kaur.

Laxman to lead the men’s side

VVS Laxman, Director of Cricket at BCCI’s Center of Excellence, will be in charge of the men’s side in Japan. He will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh.Laxman was also in charge when India won the men’s gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.Regular head coach Gautam Gambhir will remain with the senior team for the home ODI series against West Indies starting on September 27.The women’s team will be coached by Amol Muzumdar, assisted by Aavishkar Salvi and Munish Bali.India’s men’s campaign will begin on September 24, while the women’s side will enter the quarter-finals where they are scheduled to face Japan.With both teams loaded with established international names and promising youngsters, BCCI’s priority will now be to ensure that logistical issues do not affect India’s bid to retain both cricket titles at the Asian Games.Indian contingents at Asian Games 2026:

  • Indian Men’s Team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeavani S.
  • Indian Women’s Team: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Sharni Yadav, Sharni Yadav.