Cricket Returns to Olympics at LA28 in T20 Format

Cricket will return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, marking its first appearance since 1900. The men’s and women’s T20 tournaments will each feature six teams, running from July 12 to 29, with medal matches set for July 20 (women’s) and July 29 (men’s) at the Pomona Fairplex, about 50km from downtown LA. Matches are planned as double-headers at 9am and 6:30pm local time, with these timings chosen to attract South Asian television audiences. Each team will have a 15-player squad, totaling 180 athletes across both tournaments. The qualification process for Olympic cricket is yet to be finalized and will be discussed at the ICC Annual Conference in Singapore. Cricket’s Olympic return follows recent multi-sport successes, including India’s gold medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games, and is expected to further boost the sport’s global profile.