Cricket set to return at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics with T20 format

Cricket is officially set to return to the Olympic Games after a gap of 128 years, with the sport to be played in the T20 format at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that six teams each will compete in the men’s and women’s events, with 90 players taking part in each tournament.

This inclusion marks cricket as one of five new sports approved for the LA28 Games, alongside squash, flag football, baseball/softball, and lacrosse. The IOC Executive Board approved the complete event programme on April 9, announcing that the 2028 Olympics will feature 351 medal events—22 more than in Paris 2024. While the core athlete quota remains at 10,500, an additional 698 athletes will be accommodated across the newly added sports.

The qualification process for cricket is still under discussion, particularly given the global reach of the T20 format, which is currently played by nearly 100 countries. This widespread popularity sets the stage for an inclusive and competitive qualification system. As the host nation, the United States is expected to receive a direct entry into the tournament.

Cricket’s return to a multi-sport platform follows a growing trend of its reintroduction at global events. The sport featured at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham for the first time in the women’s category, where Australia took gold and India silver. It was also included in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where 14 men’s teams and 9 women’s teams participated. India claimed gold in both categories.

The movement to reintroduce cricket into the Olympics officially began in August 2021 when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its campaign for inclusion. This led to close coordination between the ICC and the LA28 Organising Committee. The culmination came in October 2023, when cricket was formally proposed as one of the five new sports.

“ICC Chairman Jay Shah is already working on a long-term strategy to ensure cricket's presence in future Olympic Games, including Brisbane 2032,” the ICC stated. Shah, who previously served as BCCI chief, was instrumental in the successful push to get cricket onto the Olympic agenda for 2028.