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2025 Asia Cup
| File:2025 ACC Asia Cup.png | |
| Dates | 9 – 28 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Asian Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 International |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Host(s) | United Arab Emirates |
| Champions |  India (9th title) |
| Runners-up |  Pakistan |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches played | 19 |
| Player of the series | Abhishek Sharma/ Kuldeep Yadav |
| Most runs | Abhishek Sharma (314) |
| Most wickets | Kuldeep Yadav (17) |
| Official website | asiancricket |
The 2025 Men's Asia Cup (also known as DP World Asia Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 17th edition of the Asia Cup cricket tournament. It is taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 9 to 28 September 2025.[1] The matches were being played in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format. India were the defending champions of 2023.[2]
The tournament featured eight teams. The five full members of the Asian Cricket Council, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka automatically qualified for the tournament and were joined by United Arab Emirates, Oman and Hong Kong, the teams which finished in the top three in the 2024 ACC Men's Premier Cup.
Background[edit]
The dates for the tournament were released in July 2024, with India initially set to act as host.[3] However, following the Pahalgam attack in early 2025 and the subsequent escalation of political crisis and military conflict between India and Pakistan, concerns arose over the feasibility of hosting matches involving both nations in India. In July 2025, during the Asian Cricket Council's annual meeting in Dhaka, ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that the tournament would instead be held in the United Arab Emirates, with matches staged in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE was selected as a neutral venue due to its prior experience hosting high-profile multinational cricket tournaments under similar circumstances.[4]
Format[edit]
The groups and format of the tournament will be different to the previous tournaments, with the eight teams split into two groups of four. The top two teams from each group will qualify for a single-group Super Four stage. The top two teams in this stage will contest the final.[1]
Teams and qualification[edit]
The five full members of the Asian Cricket Council qualified automatically for the tournament. The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Hong Kong qualified following their top-three finish at the 2024 ACC Premier Cup.[5]
| Means of qualification | Date | Hosts | Berth(s) | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Full Member | N/A | N/A | 5 |  Afghanistan
|
 Bangladesh
| ||||
| India
| ||||
| Pakistan
| ||||
 Sri Lanka
| ||||
| 2024 ACC Premier Cup | 12–21 April 2024 | Oman | 3 |  United Arab Emirates
|
 Oman
| ||||
 Hong Kong
| ||||
| Total | 8 |
Squads[edit]
| Afghanistan[6]
|
Bangladesh[7]
|
Hong Kong[8]
|
India[9]
|
Oman[10]
|
Pakistan[11]
|
Sri Lanka[12]
|
United Arab Emirates[13]
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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On 9 September, Janith Liyanage was added to the Sri Lanka squad.[14]
On 15 September, Naveen-ul-Haq was ruled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Abdullah Ahmadzai.[15][16]
Venues[edit]
The ACC announced the venues of the tournament on 2 August 2025.[17]
| Dubai | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|
| Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium |
| Coordinates: 25°2′48″N 55°13′8″E / 25.04667°N 55.21889°E | Coordinates: 24°23′47″N 54°32′26″E / 24.39639°N 54.54056°E |
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 20,000 |
| Matches: 11 | Matches: 8 |
|
|
Match officials[edit]
International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) jointly appointed the following match officials for the tournament.[18]
Match referees[edit]
Umpires[edit]
Tour matches[edit]
United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Pakistan played a T20I tri-series at Sharjah where Pakistan defeated Afghanistan in the final.
Hong Kong and Oman played each other in 2 unofficial 20-over matches prior to the Asia Cup.
v
|
Hong Kong 167/7 (20 overs) | |
Hammad Mirza 69 (36)
Yasim Murtaza 2/30 (4 overs) |
Anshuman Rath 42 (23)
Hassnain Shah 2/9 (2 overs) |
6 September 2025
Scorecard |
Hong Kong
154/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
|
Zeeshan Ali 45 (31)
Samay Shrivastava 2/19 (4 overs) |
Hammad Mirza 60 (37)
Ehsan Khan 2/24 (4 overs) |
Group stage[edit]
The ACC released the full fixtures of the tournament on 26 July 2025.[19][20]
Group A[edit]
Template:2025 Asia Cup Group A
v
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- India won the toss and elected to field.
v
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Hammad Mirza 27 (23)
Faheem Ashraf 2/6 (2 overs) |
- Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- This was the first time Oman and Pakistan faced each other in T20Is.
- Shah Faisal and Zikria Islam (Oma) both made their T20I debuts.
v
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- Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
v
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Muhammad Waseem 69 (54)
Jiten Ramanandi 2/24 (4 overs) |
Aryan Bisht 24 (32)
Junaid Siddique 4/23 (4 overs) |
- Oman won the toss and elected to field.
- Aryan Bisht (Oma) made his T20I debut.
- It was the 100th T20I match for Oman.[21]
- Muhammad Waseem (UAE) scored his 3,000th run in T20Is.[22]
- India qualified for the Super Four while Oman were eliminated as a result of this match.
v
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- United Arab Emirates won the toss and elected to field.
- The match was delayed by an hour due to PCB's protest over the India–Pakistan handshake controversy involving match referee Andy Pycroft.[23]
- Pakistan qualified for the Super Four while United Arab Emirates were eliminated as a result of this match.
v
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Sanju Samson 56 (45)
Shah Faisal 2/23 (4 overs) |
- India won the toss and elected to bat.
- This was the first time India and Oman faced each other in T20Is.
- It was the 250th T20I match for India.[24]
- Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is.[25]
Group B[edit]
Template:2025 Asia Cup Group B
v
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- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Azmatullah Omarzai (Afg) recorded the fastest half-century (20 balls) for Afghanistan.[26]
v
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Litton Das 59 (39)
Ateeq Iqbal 2/14 (3.4 overs) |
- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field.
- Rishad Hossain (Ban) and Ayush Shukla (HK) both took their 50th wicket in T20Is.[27]
- Litton Das hit his 78th six in T20Is, the most for Bangladesh, surpassing Mahmudullah.[28]
- Hong Kong were eliminated as a result of this match.
v
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- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
- Pathum Nissanka (SL) scored his 2,000th run in T20Is.[29]
v
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Pathum Nissanka 68 (44)
Yasim Murtaza 2/37 (4 overs) |
- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
- This was the first time Hong Kong and Sri Lanka faced each other in any format in international cricket.
v
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- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Mohammad Nabi equalled Azmatullah Omarzai's record for the fastest half-century (20 balls) for Afghanistan.[31]
- Bangladesh and Sri Lanka qualified for the Super Four while Afghanistan were eliminated as a result of this match.
Super Four[edit]
Template:2025 Asia Cup Super Four
v
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- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field.
- Towhid Hridoy (Ban) played in his 50th T20I match, and scored his 1,000th run in T20Is.[32]
- Litton Das surpassed Shakib Al Hasan's 2551 runs and became the highest run scorer for Bangladesh in T20Is.[33]
- Kusal Mendis surpassed Kumar Sangakkara's 45 dismissals and has recorded the most number of dismissals for Sri Lanka in T20Is.[34]
v
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- India won the toss and elected to field.
v
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- Pakistan won the toss and elected to field.
v
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- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field.
- Jaker Ali captained Bangladesh for the first time in T20Is.[35]
- Mustafizur Rahman (Ban) took his 150th wicket in T20Is and surpassed Shakib Al Hasan's 149 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in T20Is.[36]
- India qualified for the final while Sri Lanka were eliminated as a result of this match.
v
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- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field.
- Taskin Ahmed (Ban) took his 100th wicket in T20Is.[37]
- Pakistan qualified for the final while Bangladesh were eliminated as a result of this match.
v
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- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
- Pathum Nissanka (SL) scored his maiden century in T20Is.[38]
- Super Over: Sri Lanka 2/2, India 3/0
Final[edit]
Template:See main <section begin=match19/>
<section end=match19/>
Statistics[edit]
Most runs[edit]
| Runs | Player | Inns. | Avg | SR | HS | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 314 | Abhishek Sharma
|
7 | 44.85 | 200.00 | 75 | – | 3 | 32 | 19 |
| 261 | Pathum Nissanka
|
6 | 43.50 | 160.12 | 107 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 11 |
| 217 | Sahibzada Farhan
|
7 | 31.00 | 116.04 | 58 | – | 2 | 14 | 11 |
| 181 | Fakhar Zaman
|
7 | 30.16 | 120.66 | 50 | – | 1 | 16 | 5 |
| Tilak Varma
|
6 | – | |||||||
| Source: ESPNcricinfo[39] | |||||||||
Most Wickets[edit]
| Wickets | Player | Inns. | BBI | Avg | Eco. | 4W | 5W | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Kuldeep Yadav
|
7 | 4/7 | 9.29 | 6.27 | 2 | – | |
| 10 | Shaheen Afridi
|
7 | 3/17 | 16.40 | 6.60 | – | – | |
| 9 | Junaid Siddique
|
3 | 4/18 | 6.33 | 6.33 | 2 | – | |
| Mustafizur Rahman
|
6 | 3/20 | 19.00 | 7.43 | – | – | ||
| Haris Rauf
|
4 | 3/33 | 12.77 | 7.84 | – | – | ||
| Source: ESPNcricinfo[40] | ||||||||
Controversies[edit]
Handshake controversy[edit]
The group stage match between India and Pakistan drew attention for some off field incidents. At the start, organisers mistakenly played a few seconds of Jalebi Baby song instead of Pakistan's national anthem prompting criticism from Pakistani audience.[41][42]
At the toss both captains refrained from shaking hands, reportedly on the advice of match referee Andy Pycroft, and after the game was finished, the Indian players walked off without exchanging handshakes with the Pakistani side.[43] Pakistan's head coach Mike Hesson expressed disappointment, while the PCB lodged a formal protest and later suspended operations director Usman Wahla over the handling of the episode.[44] Pakistan also wrote to the International Cricket Council and requested to remove match referee Pycroft from the remaining tournament which was rejected.[45] The group stage match between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates was delayed by an hour amid uncertainty over Pakistan's participation, but eventually went ahead after the PCB claimed that Pycroft had apologised to the team for his earlier actions, while the ICC confirmed he would continue as referee.[46]
Controversy involving Yadav, Rauf and Farhan[edit]
In the Super 4 stage of the tournament, Pakistan's Haris Rauf faced backlash for making a "fighter-jet crashing" gesture toward a section of Indian supporters while fielding near the boundary.[47][48] He also made a "6-0" finger sign, interpreted by Indian media as a symbolic reference to Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian aircraft during Operation Sindoor.[49][50] Video published by NDTV showed that Rauf repeated the same gesture after dismissing Sanju Samson, indicating the actions were not limited to a single incident.[51][47] Earlier in the same match, Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century by mimicking firing with his bat, which Indian media described as provocative and insensitive.[52][47]
Following these actions, the BCCI lodged a formal complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC), citing "provocative gestures" and demanding disciplinary action.[47] The PCB responded by defending the players, calling the actions spontaneous and part of the emotions of a high stake India–Pakistan match.[53] Following an investigation into incidents, the ICC fined Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav 30% of his match fees for his political remarks as he dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and the Indian Army,[54] while Haris Rauf was also fined 30% of his match fee.[49] Sahibzada Farhan was not fined and let off with a warning.[49]
Broadcasting[edit]
| Territory | Rights holder(s) |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Lemar TV SonyLIV |
| Bangladesh | T Sports Nagorik TV Toffee Tapmad |
| India | Sony Sports SonyLIV |
| Nepal | |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports |
| Sri Lanka | TV 1 |
| Australia | Fox Sports |
| United Arab Emirates | Switch TV StarzPlay CricLife |
| MENA region | |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports |
| United States | Willow TV |
| Canada | |
| Caribbean | SonyLIV |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "More India-Pakistan games on the horizon as Asia Cup gets September window". Cricbuzz. 27 February 2025.
- ↑ "India to host Men's Asia Cup 2025". cricketpakistan.com.pk. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ↑ "India to host 2025 Asia Cup, Bangladesh the 2027 edition". Firstpost. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025 to start on September 9 in UAE". Olympics. 26 July 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ↑ "Amid rising optimism, ACC aims to start Asia Cup in September". Cricbuzz. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ↑ "Afghanistan unveil squad for upcoming Asia Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "Bangladesh Squad for Asia Cup 2025 & T20I Series Against the Netherlands Announced". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ↑ "Hong Kong, China Announces 20-Man ACC Asia Cup Squad for Preparation Camp in UAE". Cricket Hong Kong, China. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ↑ "India's squad for ACC Asia Cup 2025 announced". Board of Control for Cricket in India. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Oman ready to make an impact in Asia Cup". Muscat Daily. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ↑ "Pakistan announce squads for UAE T20I tri-series and Asia Cup". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka T20I Squad announced for the Asia Cup 2025". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ↑ "Muhammad Waseem to lead 17-member UAE squad in DP World Asia Cup 2025". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ↑ "Janith Liyanage added to Sri Lanka's Asia Cup squad". ThePapare. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ↑ "Naveen Ul Haq ruled out of Asia Cup due to shoulder injury". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "Naveen-ul-Haq ruled out of Asia Cup, Abdollah Ahmadzai named replacement". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "ACC announces official venues for Men's Asia Cup 2025". Asian Cricket Council. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025: Richie Richardson and Andy Pycroft head panel of match officials". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ↑ "ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 Set for an Expanded Showcase in the UAE". Asian Cricket Council. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025 confirmed; to be held in UAE from Sept 9 to 28". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ @thecricketgully (15 September 2025). "🎉 Century of T20Is! 🇴🇲 Oman Cricket celebrates its 100th T20I milestone 🏏🔥" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Muhammad Waseem Creates History, Breaks Jos Buttler's Record; Becomes First Player In The World To..." Times Now. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "India Become 2nd Team In The World After Pakistan To..." News18. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ↑ "Arshdeep becomes first Indian to reach 100 T20I wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ "Omarzai scores fastest ever 50 as Afghanistan rout Hong Kong". Daily FT. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ↑ "Hong Kong vs Bangladesh: Rishad Hossain Completes 50 T20I Wickets in Asia Cup 2025 Win". MensXP. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ↑ "Litton Das Breaks Multiple Batting Records During His 59-Run Knock Against Hong Kong". News18. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup: Pathum Nissanka becomes 3rd Sri Lankan batter to reach 2,000 T20I runs". The Tribune. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ↑ "Bangladesh play 200th T20Is today". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025: Mohammad Nabi equals Azmatullah Omarzai's record in Sri Lanka clash". Geo Super. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ↑ "Hridoy and Hassan steer Bangladesh past Sri Lanka at Asia Cup Super Four". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ "Litton Das becomes Bangladesh's leading run-getter in T20Is, overtakes Shakib al Hasan". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ "Most dismissals for Sri Lanka in T20Is". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ "Explained! Why Is Jaker Ali Captaining Bangladesh Instead Of Litton Das Against India In Asia Cup?". Times Now. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ↑ "Mustafizur Rahman Achieves Huge Record vs India, Becomes Bangladesh's Highest-Ever T20I Wicket-Taker". NDTV Sports. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ↑ "Taskin Ahmed Becomes 3rd Bangladeshi To Take 100 Wickets In T20Is". News18. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Pathum Nissanka emulates Virat Kohli, becomes 3rd batter to hit Asia Cup T20 hundred". India Today. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025 — Most Runs — Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ↑ "Asia Cup 2025 — Most Wickets — Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ↑ "PCB to take final call over Asia Cup today". Dawn. 17 September 2025.
- ↑ Sharma, Radhika (15 September 2025). "Jalebi Baby Singer Tesher Pokes Fun At Pakistan National Anthem Fiasco At Asia Cup: "Shout Out To The Sound Guy..."". NDTV. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ↑ Nagi, Hafsa Adil,Ahsan Iftikhar. "India, Pakistan embroiled in 'no handshake' drama after Asia Cup match". Al Jazeera.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "PCB chief suspends Usman Wahla over Asia Cup handshake controversy". Pakistan Cricket Board. 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "PCB chief Naqvi demands 'immediate removal' of match referee Pycroft". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Pakistan-UAE match begins after delay as Andy Pycroft remains match referee". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 "BCCI lodges ICC complaint against Farhan and Rauf". ESPNcricinfo. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "BCCI lodges official complaint against Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan". News18. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 "Haris Rauf fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct". ESPNcricinfo. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ↑ "Haris Rauf's fighter jet controversy explained". Firstpost. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Haris Rauf provoked India with fighter-jet gesture twice, video emerges". NDTV Sports. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Farhan's gun-firing celebration sparks debate". Firstpost. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Pakistan responds to gesture controversy". Hindustan Times. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Suryakumar found guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct". ESPNcricinfo. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2025.