India vs Pakistan final: the updated squads are not playing XIs
Ahead of the Saturday 3 October 2026, 10:00 AM IST Asian Games men's cricket final, the latest relevant BCCI release lists 14 Indian players and the PCB's 20 September update lists 15 Pakistani players. Both are squads, not a pair of officially confirmed elevens. No toss-time final XI was established in the official match material checked on 2 October at around 9:00 PM IST. A list including 14 or 15 names cannot be pasted into a headline as a starting team.
Three India roster changes/withdrawals and one Pakistan replacement make older widely circulated lists misleading.
The existing final-time preview provides the venue, road to the gold match and scheduled start. This separate article gives the current federation lists and traces their actual replacement notices, rather than copying a predicted XI.
India: 14 names after two replacements and one withdrawal
The BCCI's updated Asian Games squad is Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam. Count the names in this 16 September primary board notice rather than filling a customary 15th place from an obsolete list.
First, a 10 September BCCI notice replaced Harshit Rana with Yash Thakur after Rana's rectus femoris strain. Then BCCI's 16 September update replaced Varun Chakaravarthy, ruled out with a side strain, with Vipraj Nigam. It also withdrew Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Asian Games squad for India's West Indies ODI assignment. Those are three different roster events, not three names simultaneously available for the gold final.
Two wicketkeepers appear in the named group—Samson and Kishan—but the squad announcement does not select one for the final XI. Kishan's 80 not out against Sri Lanka and Bumrah's early wickets in the semi-final are confirmed prior-match contributions; they do not by themselves determine the eleven for Pakistan. Treat BCCI's dated current list as more reliable for roster status than an earlier tournament-wide graphic.
Pakistan: Mohammad Wasim Jnr replaces Salman Mirza
The PCB's updated 15-member squad is Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper). PCB says Mohammad Wasim Jnr took the place of Mohammad Salman Mirza after a fractured left thumb. Earlier Pakistan squad releases that still list Mirza are superseded on this point.
Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a shortened semi-final; the Olympics final guide reports Sufyan Moqim's three wickets and Abdul Samad's unbeaten 30. Those match contributions add useful context for fans comparing the teams; they are not confirmation of either player's final-match selection. Pakistan's named wicketkeeper is Usman Khan, while India's roster names two keepers. It would be misleading to fill the remaining XI positions by deduction.
How to verify the actual gold-medal playing XIs
The final is listed at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan on 3 October at 10:00 AM IST by Olympics.com. Check the official toss/team-sheet post or tournament match centre on match day for each confirmed eleven. An analyst's “likely XI,” an older roster sheet, a semi-final lineup and a 15-name squad page are all different objects. Keep the match time, selection and score as separate facts with their own dates.
The 14-versus-15 squad size is a description of the latest boards' published lists, not an allegation that the event mandates different limits or that a team is short of a match XI. Neither board notice explains that mismatch as a competition ruling. A late injury or further board amendment could change available players after this source check; the final team sheets would take priority.
Squad questions and original sources
Is Nitish Kumar Reddy in India's current Asian Games squad?
No. BCCI's 16 September update withdrew him from the Asian Games group for the West Indies ODI assignment.
Why is Mohammad Salman Mirza absent from the updated Pakistan list?
The PCB said a fractured left thumb ruled him out and Mohammad Wasim Jnr replaced him.
Are the India and Pakistan final playing XIs confirmed?
Not at the 2 October source check. The published 14- and 15-player groups are squads; the match-day XIs require an official team-sheet or toss announcement.