Pak cricket team may miss LA 2028 Olympics

Cricket will return to the Olympic stage in 2028, but only six countries will have the chance to compete for gold in Los Angeles. Organizers have confirmed that the tournament will be played in the T20 format for both men's and women's events.

A total of 90 athletes per gender have been allocated for the event, allowing each team to name a 15-member squad. With only six teams per category, competition for qualification is expected to be tough. The host nation, the United States, is likely to receive automatic entry, leaving just five spots for other countries in both men's and women's tournaments.

India, the current T20 World Cup champions, top the ICC Men's T20I rankings under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. Their women's team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, is ranked third behind Australia and England. Pakistan, however, faces a challenge, as their men's team is currently ranked seventh and the women's team stands at eighth, putting both at risk of missing out on qualification.

Cricket is one of five new sports added to the LA 2028 Games, alongside baseball/softball, flag football, squash, and lacrosse (sixes). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved cricket's inclusion in hopes of attracting a larger audience, especially from the Indian market. This move is also expected to boost global broadcasting deals, with a special focus on the Indian market.

To cater to Indian viewership, organizers are considering hosting cricket matches in New York instead of Los Angeles. With India being 9.5 hours ahead of New York and 12.5 hours ahead of LA, shifting the matches to the East Coast would align better with prime-time television slots in the subcontinent. Although final venues are yet to be confirmed, reports suggest New York could host the games at Brooklyn's Marine Park - the home ground of MI New York - or a proposed new 10,000-seat stadium.

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