The stage is set in Glasgow, Scotland, for the 2026 Commonwealth Games which begin on Wednesday. However, this edition of the Games has been marked by the notable absence of several major sports, including cricket. In a significant restructuring of the event, the overall programme has been reduced from 19 sports at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to just 10 sports in Glasgow.
Along with cricket, popular disciplines such as hockey, badminton, and wrestling have also been dropped, dramatically altering the composition of the Games.
Why has cricket been dropped?
Cricket’s omission from the Glasgow 2026 Games is largely due to financial and logistical constraints.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games were originally awarded to Victoria, Australia. However, the Victorian government withdrew as host in 2023 because of escalating costs. Glasgow was later confirmed as the replacement host in September 2024, leaving organisers with limited time to plan and deliver the event.
To ensure the Games remain financially viable and sustainable, organisers opted to streamline the programme, reducing the number of sports from 19 to 10. Cricket was among the sports excluded from the final schedule.
Has cricket featured in the Commonwealth Games before?
Cricket first appeared at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where a men’s ODI tournament featuring 16 teams was held. South Africa, led by Shaun Pollock, won the gold medal after defeating Australia in the final, while New Zealand claimed bronze by beating Sri Lanka.
After a 24-year gap, cricket returned at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a women’s T20 tournament featuring eight teams. Australia, captained by Meg Lanning, won gold, while India secured silver and New Zealand took bronze.
Sports excluded and retained in Glasgow 2026
A total of nine sports from the Birmingham 2022 programme have been excluded from the 2026 Games:
- Cricket
- Badminton
- Hockey
- Squash
- Table tennis
- Triathlon
- Wrestling
- Beach volleyball
- Rugby sevens
The 10 sports retained for Glasgow 2026 are:
- Athletics
- Swimming
- Track cycling
- Weightlifting
- 3×3 basketball
- Bowls
- Netball
- Artistic gymnastics
- Judo
- Boxing
Is this a setback for India?
The shortened programme is a significant setback for India, which finished fourth at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with a total of 61 medals. Notably, nearly half of those medals came from sports that have now been dropped from the Glasgow programme.
India’s medal haul in the excluded sports at Birmingham 2022 included:
- 12 medals in wrestling
- 7 medals in table tennis
- 6 medals in badminton
- 2 medals in hockey
- 2 medals in squash
- 1 medal in cricket
These six sports alone contributed 30 medals, accounting for almost half of India’s overall tally.
Additionally, shooting and archery — two disciplines in which India has historically excelled — were already absent from the Commonwealth Games programme, further reducing the country’s potential medal prospects in Glasgow 2026.
