Ahead of their one-off T20I against India on September 22, Japan announced the squad which will face the defending T20 World Cup champions. Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan’s leading run-scorer, will captain the side while it also boasts the experience of veteran players like Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb.

The match is set to be played under the banner of the Suzuki Cup and will commemorate the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. “As part of their Asian Games preparation, the side have opted not to include players who are eligible to play T20Is under ICC regulations but ineligible under Asian Games rules,” ICC said in a press release.

The 30-year-old Kadowaki-Fleming has appeared in 55 T20Is and scored 1871 runs at a strike rate of 139.41. He has two hundreds and 12 half centuries to his credit. The Asian Games begin on September 19. The men’s cricket competition will get underway from September 24. Ranked No.1, India are the reigning T20 World Cup champions, while Japan are placed 41st in ICC T20 rankings.

A historic one-off T20I awaits Japan as they name a 15-member squad to take on India 💪

— ICC (@ICC) September 8, 2026

The 15-member Japanese squad also includes wicket-keeper Wataru Miyauchi and leg-spinner Makoto Taniyama, who is inspired by late Australian great Shane Warne. He is Japan’s leading wicket-taker.


Rookie spin-bowling all-rounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn has also been included on the basis of his domestic performances along side medium pacer Tsuyoshi Takada.

The India and Japan cricket boards had stated that the match will be the first step of “Sport 75”, an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, “taking note of India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036”.

Japan’s Squad: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.