Cricket: India and Pakistan to clash in UAE as Asia Cup schedule announced

Dubai: The Asia Cup schedule is officially out, and the headline act will be the high-stakes encounter between India and Pakistan, set to take place on September 14.

The 2025 edition of the men’s T20 Asia Cup will run from September 9 to 28 in the UAE, with India and Pakistan drawn in Group A alongside Oman and UAE. The Asian giants could potentially meet up to three times in the tournament — once in the group stage, again in the Super Four, and possibly in the final, depending on their progression.

India, the official host of this edition, will begin their campaign against UAE on September 10, followed by matches against Pakistan and Oman in the group phase. The tournament opener will see Afghanistan take on Hong Kong on September 9, while the final is scheduled for September 28.

Confirming the details on Saturday, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi said: “I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in UAE. We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket.”

Naqvi, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board, chaired the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka earlier this week, where the final structure of the competition was ratified. The expanded format will feature eight teams this year — up from six — offering a broader platform for emerging cricketing nations like Hong Kong, UAE, and Oman, who qualified via the ACC Men’s Premier Cup.

“The ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup is the marquee event of Asian cricket, and we are proud to present an expanded platform this year,” Naqvi said in a statement. “Hosting it in the UAE allows fans across Asia to come together in a setting that mirrors our region’s diversity. When crowds gather to witness unforgettable clashes, it will be a reminder of cricket’s power to build bridges.”

Although India and Pakistan have not met in a bilateral series since 2012 due to longstanding diplomatic strains, they continue to face off in multilateral events held on neutral grounds. Following a consensus reached before the start of the Champions Trophy earlier this year, both boards agreed to restrict all meetings between the two teams to neutral venues through to the end of 2027. The UAE, which previously hosted the Asia Cup in 2018 and 2022, remains a mutually acceptable location.

India’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a brief but intense conflict earlier this year. However, officials have reiterated that the Asia Cup will proceed strictly under the aegis of sport, separate from political considerations.

Group B features defending champions Sri Lanka alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage, where each side will face the other once. The two best-performing teams from that stage will contest the final.

This year’s tournament returns to the T20 format as teams prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to be hosted by India next year.

With India and Pakistan likely to cross paths more than once during the tournament, cricket fans across the globe can expect a series of intense, high-voltage matches — albeit with the hope that the spirit of sport rises above all else.