The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will host the Asia Cup, to be played in T20 format, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28. The marquee match between India and Pakistan — both placed in Group A — will be played on September 14. If the two sides advance to the Super 4s and win the rest of their matches, their next meeting will be in the final.
This will be the first match between India and Pakistan after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed. Subsequently, Operation Sindoor was conducted by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan against terror emanating from that country.
The two sides were slated to meet in the Women’s Asia Cup for emerging players last month. However, the BCCI withdrew from the tournament in the aftermath of the terror attacks and the consequent escalation in hostilities.
The Indian cricket board even threatened the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to shift their annual meeting from Dhaka to another country. It is learnt that they warned other countries not to attend the meeting in the Bangladeshi capital. However, with the BCCI officials and Sri Lanka Cricket chiefs attending the meeting through video conferencing earlier this week, the schedule for the September event was finalised.
Recently, a senior sports ministry official said the government will not stop India from playing against Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments.
Confirming the dates and the host nation for the Asia Cup, ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board president, posted on X: “I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. The prestigious tournament will take place from September 9th to 28th. We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket! The detailed schedule will be out soon. #Cricketwins”
With only seven months left until the next T20 World Cup iteration to be played in India and Sri Lanka, the continental tournament will return to the T20 format. The previous edition of the Asia Cup was played in the ODI format on the road to the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where India demolished hosts Sri Lanka to lift the title.
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Naqvi said in a statement: “Hosting the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE allows fans from across Asia to come together in a setting that mirrors our region’s incredible diversity. When crowds gather to witness the tournament’s unforgettable clashes, it will be a great reminder of cricket’s power to build bridges.”
While the BCCI are the designated host, the tournament will be played in a neutral setting in the United Arab Emirates with eight teams in contention. Besides India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh the competition will comprise Hong Kong, UAE and Oman.
The last edition of the Asia Cup in 2023, too, was impacted by the India-Pakistan situation. With Pakistan hosting the tournament, India refused to travel across the border. The BCCI ensured that India played their matches in Sri Lanka. For the PCB, the event proved to be a damp squib as Pakistan failed to make it to the final and India won the title match against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
