Cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time in 128 years during the LA28 Games, and the dates for the men's and women's tournaments have now been announced. The tournament will be played in a T20 format, and six men's and women's teams will take part in the event that will run from July 12 to 19. The medal matches will be held on 20 July (women’s) and 29 July (men’s) respectively. All matches will be staged at the Pomona Fairplex, about 50 km from downtown Los Angeles.

The matches will begin at 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM local time, and most days will have double headers to fit the six-team tournament in the Olympic calendar. Cricket made its Olympic debut in the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated Paris in a one-off match.

"Following the announcement of the confirmed number of teams and the venue for LA28 back in April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the T20 competitions for the men’s and women’s categories at LA28 will run from 12 July to 29 July 2028. The medal matches will be held on 20 July (women’s) and 29 July (men’s) respectively," read a statement from the ICC.

Cricket's inclusion in the Olympics highlights the growing stature of the sport. Cricket made its debut in the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham in 2022, while the men's and women's teams have participated in the Asian Games in 2010, 2014, and 2023. Also, Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York hosted several games of the T20 World Cup 2024.

How Will Teams Qualify?

The qualification criteria for the Olympics have not been finalised yet, and a decision is likely to be taken during the ICC’s Annual Conference in Singapore starting on July 17. Cricket in the Olympics will be big, and many feel the best teams should play in the tournament to display top-quality cricket in the global event.

However, whether the ICC will consider the rankings as the mode or qualification, or they'll play a qualifying tournament, is yet to be seen. Also, there is a debate over whether or not the host USA should automatically qualify. And what about the associate nations? Reportedly, ICC also has to keep the associate nations happy as the Olympics is a global tournament. A clear picture of the Olympic qualification should be out after the July 17 meeting.