After finishing the England series in August, India’s important assignment is to participate in the Asia Cup with the T20I format in September. India is poised to completely dominate in one more ICC event following an incredible sign-off in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. A recent update has cleared the air in the context of possible dates for the next ICC event, and the buzz over the India vs Pakistan clash is skyrocketing as three face-offs are possible.
The curtains have been pulled off from the initially doubtful schedule, venues and India vs Pakistan match, as Mohsin Naqvi who handles the chairman duties at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has officially announced on his ‘X’ account that the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 is set to be going live from the UAE from September 9-28. He also informed that a complete schedule will be available soon. The sources reveal that an official meeting was recently held in Dhaka, where the ACC meeting took place. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was handed over the responsibility to confirm the schedule and make it live for the public in the next few days.
India vs Pakistan in Same Group
The face-off between India and Pakistan is confirmed as they have reportedly been added to the same group. During the timeline of the tournament, there lies a possibility of a maximum of three matches, including the clashes in the group stage, Super Four and grand finale, in case both teams advance to the further stages. India and Pakistan met last in the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, where India clinched victory by six wickets with Virat Kohli shining with a century.
The state of confusion after the political rift between the two countries is now clear up to some extent, requiring further exchange of details. Going ahead with the neutral venue is a logical choice. However, the fans await what the BCCI says about this situation after a recent suspension of a match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions.
The Asia Cup 2025 will see eight nations participating in the trimmed format. There will be 19 matches, taking place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. India will also consider this opportunity as a testing ground for the T20 World Cup 2026.
India Possible Squad for the Asia Cup
The Men in Blue will return to the electrifying atmosphere in the UAE with a vision to practice for the T20 World Cup 2026. Team India is poised to feature a competitive squad with plenty of players to choose from, but India will mostly opt for what has been working out, as one more ICC event is on the horizon. However, Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be absent following a recent surgery to recover from a sports hernia. In his absence, Hardik Pandya is the first possible choice to lead India if SKY remains off the field.
India’s possible squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
