Poonam Nath

Cricket will feature six teams and 90 players at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

Digital Desk: Cricket will return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 128 years, with six teams competing in both men's and women's categories, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.

Each event will feature a total of 90 players. The sport will be played in T20 style at the world's largest multi-sport event, which will take place in Los Angeles in 2028.

Cricket is one of five new sports to be introduced in the Los Angeles Olympics, along with squash, flag football, baseball/softball, and lacrosse.

The Olympic cricket qualifying requirements have not yet been decided. Since almost 100 countries play T20 International cricket, in contrast to Test and ODI formats, qualifying is an intriguing task. The USA may get a direct admission into the tournament as hosts.

On Wednesday, April 9, the IOC Executive Board approved the Los Angeles Olympics event schedule. The 2028 Games will feature a total of 351 medal events-22 more than the Paris Olympics.

The IOC stated that an additional 698 athletes would be allocated among the five new sports, but the core athlete quota would remain at 10,500.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) openly announced its intention to advocate for cricket's participation in the Los Angeles Games in August 2021, marking the start of the process.

As a result, the ICC and the LA28 Organizing Committee worked together, and in October 2023, cricket was formally suggested as one of the five new sports.

In order to guarantee cricket's inclusion in upcoming Olympic Games, such as Brisbane 2032, ICC Chairman Jay Shah is already developing a long-term plan. The former secretary of the BCCI was instrumental in the effort to introduce cricket to the 2028 Olympic Games.