India to Play Historic First-Ever T20I Against Japan on September 22

India will play a historic one-off T20I against Japan on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture, marking the first-ever meeting between the two nations in international cricket.

Dubbed the Suzuki Cup, the match has been organised by the BCCI and the Japan Cricket Association to launch celebrations for the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. The fixture forms the flagship event of "Sport 75," a bilateral sporting initiative that followed a summit agreement between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The game kicks off at 1:00 PM local time (9:30 AM IST).

"The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men's teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan," said BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia. JCA CEO Naoki Miyaji called the visit of the reigning world champions "a landmark moment for cricket in Japan," with organisers planning to expand the venue's usual 500-person capacity to as many as 2,000 to accommodate demand.

The match effectively serves as a warm-up for Shreyas Iyer's India squad ahead of the Asian Games, where they arrive as defending gold medallists and have already secured a direct berth in the quarterfinal on September 28 owing to their higher ranking. Japan, unbeaten in eight of ten T20Is played in 2026, will be playing their first-ever match against a full ICC member nation.