Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi declared on Saturday that the 2025 Asian Cup will be held from September 9 to 28 in the United Arab Emirates. Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, made the declaration on his official X account.
India and Pakistan Drawn in Same Group
India and Pakistan, the two arch-rivals on the field, are grouped together for the continental tournament. The two teams will face each other on September 14. The 2025 edition may see up to three India-Pakistan games: in the group, Super Four, and possibly the final, if both nations qualify.
Asia Cup will have eight teams competing in T20 format, a pre-monsoon rehearsal of sorts before next year’s T20 World Cup. The tournament structure guarantees a minimum one India-Pakistan encounter in the group phase, maintaining the structure that has remained intact since the two countries ceased playing bilateral series against each other.
Political and Sporting Tensions Loom Over Grouping
The grouping decision is made at a time when relations between India and Pakistan both on the cricket field and in politics have remained tense. Just last week, tensions spilled into the World Championship of Legends (WCL) veterans’ competition where a planned match between India Champions and Pakistan Champions was abandoned. The Indian team members, including some prominent names such as Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, and Shikhar Dhawan and many others, boycotted after facing severe public criticism for taking the field with their former Pakistani counterparts.
That incident followed recent military buildups between the two countries in response to the Pahalgam terror attack last April early this year. India retaliated with airstrikes against terror camps within Pakistan, which followed a heightened buildup in military activities between both nations.
UAE to Host All Matches
The dates and venues of the tournament were made known shortly after Naqvi’s tweets. Dubai and Abu Dhabi will host all 19 matches.
India and Pakistan have played each other recently in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, where Virat Kohli’s century helped India romp to a six-wicket victory in Dubai. However, India went on to lift the trophy, having an unbeatable run.
Asia Cup 2025 Groups Announced
Group A: India, Pakistan, UAE, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong
India’s Full Group Stage Schedule
September 10: vs UAE
September 14: vs Pakistan
September 19: vs Oman
As is to be expected, it’s the India-Pakistan encounter that will attract the most eyes at the Asia Cup. Both nations do not play bilateral series, and as one of the toughest rivals in cricket, an India-Pakistan game regardless of format remains the largest in the tournament.
