Harmanpreet Kaur can play in Asian Games 2023 only if India women’s team reaches final. Here’s why

Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur will only be able to play in the Asian Games if her team reaches the final of the mega event starting September 23 in Hangzhou.

Four teams in both men’s and women’s events – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will be directly playing from the last eight stage, courtesy the ICC T20I ranking on June 1. All the matches will have official T20I status, reported PTI on July 28, Friday.

Harmanpreet, who has been slapped with a two-match ban for her public outburst after the final ODI game of the Bangladesh away series, is ineligible to play the quarter-final which will surely be against an associate nation followed by the semi-final against a full member nation.

The Indian women’s team captain, annoyed by the umpiring, smashed her bat into the stumps after getting dismissed in the final ODI match of the series. As she walked out, an agitated Harman had words to say for the Bangladesh team and the on-field umpires.

In the presentation ceremony after the match (ended in a tie), Harman once again called out the umpires and allegedly told the Bangladesh players to invite the match officials on stage during the photo-op.

After the game, ICC slapped her with 4 demerit points and Harmanpreet became the first ever female cricketer to cop a disciplinary ban in women’s cricket.

Harmanpreet runs the risk of not playing in the Asian Games 2023 in case India fail to reach the finals of the Asian Games 2023. The women’s tournament will be a 14-match competition while the men’s segment will be an 18-member one. Ruturaj Gaikwad will be leading the Indian men’s side.

The women’s competition will start on September 19 and end with the gold and bronze medal matches on September 26.

The men’s event starts on September 28 and the final will be played on October 7, two days after the men’s ICC 50-over World Cup starts in Ahmedabad.