Shreyas Iyer’s squad left New Delhi in the early hours of Sunday, September 20, 2026, bound for Japan and the Asian Games, and a handful of players boarded without a correctly sized jersey. That one logistical gap, first reported by Crictracker, turned a routine send-off into a three-way scramble between the BCCI, the Indian Olympic Association and kit supplier JSW Inspire.
The manufacturer has now pushed back hard on the framing. In its statement, JSW Inspire insisted the men’s and women’s kits were handed over to the respective team managers “well in advance”, and that those managers confirmed the kits were “in order” with “no issues” reported.
What JSW Inspire Actually Said
The company’s response was blunt. “JSW Inspire remains committed to upholding the standards and values of the Asian Games,” a spokesperson said, a line that reads as much as a defence of process as a reassurance to players.
Here’s the thing: two accounts of the same week now sit side by side. JSW Inspire describes a clean handover. An IOA source told PTI that “there was a sizing issue” and that the “majority” of cricketers‘ kits had been rectified — a word choice that implicitly concedes a minority had not been.
Why the Asian Games Kit Row Matters
Preparation detail has long separated India’s best from the rest — the Virat Kohli: Cricket template of obsessive readiness being the obvious reference point. A sizing slip is small in isolation. Repeated across a multi-sport contingent, it becomes the kind of off-field noise that Rishabh Pant-led Asian campaigns are supposed to drown out.
The complication is structural, not personal. Players need two different jerseys for this tour: the standard BCCI kit for the September 22, 2026 match against Japan, and the official Games kit from September 28 onwards. Two supply chains, one departure date, as India Today Sports has tracked across the contingent.
Three Fixes, Three Trade-offs
Three routes were available, and none is clean. Option one: carry both sets regardless. Players travel with complete BCCI and Games kits, removing all dependency on late deliveries. The downside is bulk — extra baggage weight on a long-haul squad movement, plus the risk of players warming up in the wrong strip.
Option two: air-freight the remaining kits to Japan. This preserves the official branding obligation and gets correct sizes to players within days. The downside is customs clearance and the genuine possibility that kits land after the September 22 fixture anyway. Option three: wear the BCCI jersey throughout. Simplest logistically, and it guarantees everyone is comfortable. The downside is contractual — the IOA’s supplier agreement exists precisely to put its mark on the Games stage. Understanding Asian Games fully means staying ahead of these developments.
| Option | Benefit | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Carry both sets. | No delivery dependency | Excess baggage, wrong-strip risk |
| Air-freight to Japan | Correct sizes, official branding preserved | Customs delays, late arrival risk |
| Wear the BCCI jersey throughout | Simplest logistics | Fails to use the official Games kit |
UPDATE:
JSW Spokesperson told: “It has come to our attention that certain sections of the media are attributing the issue of Indian contingent not getting the ceremonial kit in time to JSW Sports. We would like to clarify that the responsibility of production and handover of the ceremonial kit was not with JSW Inspire. We have provided the performance kits for the players to the respective federations in a phased manner.
More specifically, the kit for both the men’s & women’s cricket teams have been handed over to the respective managers well in advance. They have confirmed that the kits are in order and that there are no issues. The men’s team will be wearing the JSW Inspire kit when they travel from Tokyo to Nagoya on 26th September. JSW Inspire remains committed to uphold the standards and values of the Asian Games.”
Source: Crictracker
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