After months of uncertainty and intrigue, a new era of Asian cricket is on the horizon as the 17th edition of the Asia Cup prepares to begin. From September 9 to 28, the UAE will become the epicenter of a tournament steeped in history and simmering with modern‑day rivalries.
The off‑field drama is set to give way to on‑field tension as the continent’s top eight teams battle for glory in 19 action‑packed matches. Here is your ultimate guide to a tournament that doubles as a prelude to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
In a significant shift, the event, officially hosted by India, will be played at neutral venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a decision prompted by strained political relations between India and Pakistan.
This arrangement sets the stage for a tournament that is about more than just cricket; it’s about a continent’s fiercest competitors sharing common ground.
For the first time, the Asia Cup will feature an expanded field of eight teams. In addition to the five Full Members—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan—three Associate nations, the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, have qualified for the prestigious event following impressive performances in the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup.
The eight teams are split into two groups, each with its own dynamics.
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | India, Oman, Pakistan, UAE |
| Group B | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka |
The format is a simple round‑robin, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Four stage. The top two from the Super Four will then battle for continental supremacy in the final on September 28 in Dubai.
This will also be the third time the Asia Cup is played in a T20 format, after the 2016 and 2022 editions.
| Date | Time (PST) | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, 09 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Afghanistan vs Hong Kong |
| Wed, 10 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | United Arab Emirates vs India |
| Thu, 11 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Bangladesh vs Hong Kong |
| Fri, 12 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Oman vs Pakistan |
| Sat, 13 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka |
| Sun, 14 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | India vs Pakistan |
| Mon, 15 Sep ’25 | 5:00 PM | United Arab Emirates vs Oman |
| Mon, 15 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Hong Kong vs Sri Lanka |
| Tue, 16 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Afghanistan vs Bangladesh |
| Wed, 17 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | United Arab Emirates vs Pakistan |
| Thu, 18 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka |
| Fri, 19 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | India vs Oman |
| Sat, 20 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Sun, 21 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Tue, 23 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Wed, 24 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Thu, 25 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Fri, 26 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Super Fours: TBA vs TBA |
| Sun, 28 Sep ’25 | 7:30 PM | Final: TBA vs TBA |
The Group A clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 14 in Dubai remains the most intriguing fixture of the 2025 Asia Cup. This will be the first sporting meeting between the two nations since a brief military conflict earlier this year.
With the Indian government recently clarifying its stance on multi‑nation events, the possibility of this blockbuster fixture, and potentially a second meeting, or even a final, is very real and has the cricket world abuzz.
| Country | Players |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Darwish Rasooli; Ibrahim Zadran; Mohammad Ishaq; Rahmanullah Gurbaz; Sediqullah Atal; Rashid Khan; Azmatullah Omarzai; Gulbadin Naib; Karim Janat; Mohammad Nabi; Sharafuddin Ashraf; Fareed Ahmad; Fazalhaq Farooqi; AM Ghazanfar; Mujeeb Ur Rahman; Naveen-ul-Haq; Noor Ahmad |
| Bangladesh | Litton Das; Jaker Ali; Nurul Hasan; Parvez Hossain Emon; Tanzid Hasan; Towhid Hridoy; Mahedi Hasan; Mohammad Saifuddin; Nasum Ahmed; Rishad Hossain; Saif Hassan; Shamim Hossain; Tanzim Hasan Sakib; Mustafizur Rahman; Shoriful Islam; Taskin Ahmed |
| Hong Kong | Anshy Rath; Babar Hayat; Martin Coetzee; Kinchit Shah; Shahid Wasif; Zeeshan Ali; Yasim Murtaza; Aizaz Khan; Nasrulla Rana; Nizakat Khan; Ali Hassan; Ateeq Iqbal; Ehsan Khan; Mohammad Ghazanfar; Mohammad Waheed; Ayush Shukla; Kalhan Challu |
| India | Suryakumar Yadav; Shubman Gill; Sanju Samson; Jitesh Sharma; Rinku Singh; Abhishek Sharma; Shivam Dube; Hardik Pandya; Axar Patel; Tilak Varma; Arshdeep Singh; Jasprit Bumrah; Harshit Rana; Kuldeep Yadav; Varun Chakravarthy |
| Oman | Jatinder Singh; Aamir Kaleem; Hammad Mirza; Vinayak Shukla; Mohammad Nadeem; Karan Sonavale; Hassnain Shah; Shakeel Ahmed; Samay Shrivastava; Sufyan Mehmood; Aryan Bisht; Muhammed Imran; Nadeem Khan; Ashish Odedara; Shah Faisal; Sufyan Yousaf; Zikria Islam |
| Pakistan | Fakhar Zaman; Hasan Nawaz; Mohammad Haris; Sahibzada Farhan; Saim Ayub; Salman Agha; Faheem Ashraf; Hussain Talat; Khushdil Shah; Mohammad Nawaz; Abrar Ahmed; Haris Rauf; Hasan Ali; Mohammad Wasim; Salman Mirza; Shaheen Shah Afridi; Sufiyan Muqeem |
| Sri Lanka | Nuwanidu Fernando; Kusal Mendis; Kamil Mishara; Pathum Nissanka; Kusal Perera; Charith Asalanka; Wanindu Hasaranga; Chamika Karunaratne; Kamindu Mendis; Dasun Shanaka; Dushmantha Chameera; Binura Fernando; Matheesha Pathirana; Maheesh Theekshana; Nuwan Thushara; Dunith Wellalage |
| United Arab Emirates | Muhammad Waseem; Asif Khan; Rahul Chopra; Ethan D’Souza; Alishan Sharafu; Aryansh Sharma; Harshit Kaushik; Muhammad Farooq; Dhruv Parashar; Haider Ali; Junaid Siddique; Matiullah Khan; Muhammad Jawadullah; Muhammad Rohid; Simranjeet Singh; Muhammad Zohaib; Saghir Khan |
The Asia Cup is a tournament known for memorable upsets and high‑quality cricket, and fans can expect fierce competition with no guarantees. From the first ball to the last, the 2025 edition is poised to be unmissable.
Old storylines, new stakes, and eight teams chasing one prize—Dubai and Abu Dhabi are about to host a month of high‑tempo cricket and heavy drama. If form, pride, and a dash of history are any guide, this Asia Cup won’t just set the tone for 2026 World Cup; it might just rewrite a few scripts along the way.
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