Asia Cup is one of the most prestigious continental cricket tournaments and was founded in 1983 by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). is played in ODI and T20 formats. The first edition was held in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE, with India as the winning champion. Since then, it has become a regular event between top Asian teams like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and others. India holds the record for the most titles, followed by Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This Asia Cup is in T20 format and hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Importance
• Showcases famous rivalries (especially India vs Pakistan).
• Serves as preparation for ICC tournaments.
• Provides a platform for emerging teams like Afghanistan and Nepal.
Participating teams and key players
There are a total of 8 teams, and they are divided into two groups of 4 teams each.
Asia Cup 2025 Groups
- Pakistan
- UAE
- India
- Oman
- Afghanistan
- Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh
- Hong Kong
Team Squads for Asia Cup 2025:
- Captain: Salman Agha
- Vice-Captain: Shaheen Afridi
- Wicket Keepers: Muhammad Haris
- Players: Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Hassan Ali, Faheem Asraf, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hassan Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Khush Dil Shah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Wasim Jr
- Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
- Vice-Captain: Shubman Gill
- Wicket Keepers: Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson
- Players: Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
- Captain: Charith Asalanka
- Vice-Captain: Kusal Mendis
- Wicket Keepers: Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara
- Players: Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Dunith Wellalage
- Captain: Rashid Khan
- Vice-Captain: Ibrahim Zardan
- Wicket Keepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishfaq
- Players: Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Captain: Liton Das
- Vice-Captain: Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Wicket Keepers: Lition Das, Nurul Hassan, Jaker Ali
- Players: Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Saif Hassan, Rishad Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin
- Captain: Muhammad Waseem
- Vice-Captain: Asif Khan
- Wicket Keepers: Rahul Chopra, Aryansh Sharma
- Players: Haider Ali, Ethan D’Souza, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Harshit Kaushik, Matiullah Khan, Saghir Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid, Alishan Sharafu, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh, Muhammad Zohaib
- Captain: Jatinder Singh
- Vice-Captain: Zeeshan Maqsood
- Wicket Keepers: Vinayak Shukla, Sufiyan Yousuf
- Players: Shakeel Ahmed, Aryan Bisht, Muhammed Imran, Zikria Islam, Aamir Kaleem, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Hammad Mirza, Mohammad Nadeem, Ashish Odedara, Faisal Shah, Hassnain Shah, Samay Shrivastava, Karan Sonavale
- Captain: Yasim Murtaza
- Vice-Captain: Babar Hayat
- Wicket Keepers: Zeeshan Ali, Shaid Wasif
- Players: Haroon Arshad, Kalhan Challu, Martin Coetzee, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ali Hassan, Ateeq Iqbal, Aizaz Khan, Anas Khan, Ehsan Khan, Nizakat Khan, Adil Mehmood, Nasrulla Rana, Anshuman Rath, Kinchit Shah, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Waheed
Note:
These Squads are according to the official announcement of the ACC. Final changes may occur in the case of injuries.”
Matches schedule and venues
The Asia Cup starts from September 9, 2025, to September 28, 2025, and the venues are Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The total matches played in Dubai Stadium is 10, and in Sheikh Zayed Stadium are 9. These matches are divided into the Group Stage and the Super Four Stage. In the Super Four Stage, the two top teams from each group play matches. The match Description is given below: –
| M | Teams | Date | Venue | Day | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AFG vs HK | 09/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Tue | Group B |
| 2 | IND vs UAE | 10/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Wed | Group A |
| 3 | BAN vs HK | 11/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Thu | Group B |
| 4 | PAK vs Oman | 12/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Fri | Group A |
| 5 | BAN vs SL | 13/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Sat | Group B |
| 6 | IND vs PAK | 14/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Sun | Group A |
| 7 | UAE vs Oman | 15/08/2025 (earlier) | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Mon | Group A |
| 8 | SL vs HK | 15/08/2025 (later) | Dubai Stadium | Tue | Group B |
| 9 | BAN vs AFG | 16/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Wed | Group B |
| 10 | PAK vs UAE | 17/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Thu | Group A |
| 11 | SL vs AFG | 18/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Fri | Group B |
| 12 | IND vs Oman | 19/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Sat | Group A |
| 13 | B1 vs B2 | 20/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Sun | Super Four |
| 14 | A1 vs A2 | 21/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Mon | Super Four |
| 15 | A2 vs B1 | 23/08/2025 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium | Tue | Super Four |
| 16 | A1 vs B2 | 24/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Wed | Super Four |
| 17 | A2 vs B2 | 25/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Thu | Super Four |
| 18 | A1 vs B1 | 26/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Fri | Super Four |
| 19 | Winner SF 1 vs SF 2 | 28/08/2025 | Dubai Stadium | Sun | Final |
Pakistan and India’s key clashes
The high-voltage match between India and Pakistan is set to take place on 14 September 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This match is part of Group A, and everyone is waiting for this match. In this match, the stadium is almost full. In Asia Cup matches, India leads overall 10 wins against Pakistan in both formats (ODI, T20).
Conclusion and expectations
The match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup has always been one of the most thrilling matches. India leads the head-to-head record while Pakistan has still delivered memorable victories in the Asia Cup. Every match shows massive global viewership, not just for sport but also for national pride and passion. Cricket fans want such games that are filled with match-winning performances and unforgettable rivalries. The next matches give a chance for both teams to show their true strength on Asia’s biggest stage.
