The Asia Cup Cricket Tournament 2025 kicks off on September 9th (Tuesday). The opening match will be between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Indian team will start its campaign on September 10th against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Following that, on September 14th (Sunday), they'll face arch-rival Pakistan at the same venue in Dubai.
Must Read: From Shubman Gill to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, these 5 players could be game-changers in the Asia Cup
For the first time, eight teams will compete, split into two groups. Group A includes India, Pakistan, Oman, and UAE, while Group B comprises Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super-4 stage. The two teams that top the Super-Four round will battle for the title on September 28th.
Where and when can you watch the matches?
Sony Sports Network will broadcast all the matches of Asia Cup 2025 live in India. The Sony LIV app and its website will offer live streaming of the Asia Cup matches. A total of 19 matches will be played, out of which 18 will start at 8 PM Indian time. Only the UAE vs Oman match on September 15th will start at 5:30 PM Indian time.
Who has won the Asia Cup?
This 17th edition of the Asia Cup will take place in the T20 format, similar to the 2016 and 2022 editions. The remaining 14 editions were held in the ODI format. India is the most successful team in Asia Cup history, clinching the title 8 times. The Indian team emerged victorious in 1984 (the inaugural edition), 1988, 1990-91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2023. Sri Lanka has won 6 times (1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022), and Pakistan has triumphed twice (2000, 2012).
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Who is hosting and where will the matches be played?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the official host, yet all matches will be played in the UAE. Due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, organizing all matches on Indian soil was challenging. The BCCI would have had to arrange Pakistan-related matches at a neutral venue, similar to how matches involving India were held in Dubai during the Champions Trophy 2025. As a result, the entire tournament will take place in the UAE. Matches at the Asia Cup will occur in Dubai (Dubai International Cricket Stadium) and Abu Dhabi (Sheikh Zayed Stadium).
Why is Nepal not participating in the Asia Cup?
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan received direct entry to the Asia Cup 2025. Meanwhile, Oman, UAE, and Hong Kong qualified through the ACC Men's Premier Cup 2024. Nepal's team finished fourth in the ACC Men's Premier Cup 2024, held in Oman, which did not secure them a spot in the Asia Cup.
Here is an overview of all 8 teams' squads in the Asia Cup...
India:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan:
Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Mukim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saif Ayub.
Sri Lanka:
Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameira, Binura Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thusara, Matheesha Pathirana.
Must Read: Hardik Pandya might create new records in the Asia Cup... Bhubi's record is at risk, and Afghan spinner will pose a challenge.
Bangladesh:
Liton Das (Captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Ridoy, Zakir Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain, Kazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed.
Hong Kong:
Yasim Murtaza (Captain), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Nizakat Khan, Nasrullah Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Mark Challu, Ayush Ashish Shukla, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Adil Mahmood, Haroon Mohammed Arshad, Ali Hasan, Shahid Wasif, Gajanfer Mohammad, Mohammad Waheed, Anas Khan, Ehsan Khan, Atik Ull Rehman Iqbal, Kinchit Shah.
Oman:
Jatinder Singh (Captain), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedera, Amir Kaleem, Mohammad Nadeem, Sufyan Mahmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sounavala, Faisal Shah, Mohammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakil Ahmed, Samay Srivastava, Zakaria Islam, Hassan Ain Ali Shah.
United Arab Emirates:
Muhammad Waseem (Captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matyullah Khan, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjit Singh, Sagir Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah.
Must Read: Writhing in pain, Kedar Jadhav crushed Bangladesh to dust, securing India's Asia Cup victory in 2018.
Afghanistan:
Rashid Khan (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Farid Malik, Naveen Ul Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Allah Gajanfer, Noor Ahmed.
Asia Cup 2025 Schedule (Timings in Indian Standard Time)
September 9: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM
September 10: India vs UAE, Dubai, 8:00 PM
September 11: Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM September 12: Pakistan vs Oman, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 13: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM
September 14: India vs Pakistan, Dubai, 8:00 PM
September 15: UAE vs Oman, Abu Dhabi, 5:30 PM September 15: Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 16: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM September 17: Pakistan vs UAE, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 18: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM
September 19: India vs Oman, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM
September 20: B1 vs B2, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 21: A1 vs A2, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 23: A2 vs B1, Abu Dhabi, 8:00 PM September 24: A1 vs B2, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 25: A2 vs B2, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 26: A1 vs B1, Dubai, 8:00 PM September 28: Final, Dubai, 8:00 PM
