The tournament is set to commence from September 9.
The stage is set, and the commencement of the Asia Cup 2025 is nearing. The tournament will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will be played in the shortest format of the game. To some extent, this will act as preparation for all the teams for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup early next year.
Preparation is key to the success of any team. And in today’s day and age, with multiple formats taking over, it is extremely vital for a team to have their plans ready before a mega-event. As a result, multiple teams who will be participating in the Asia Cup 2025 have started their preparation for the tournament. Teams like Afghanistan, Pakistan and hosts UAE are currently engaged in a tri-series in the UAE itself, which will act as a stepping stone for all the three teams before the opener on September 9.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka are playing Zimbabwe whereas Bangladesh have hosted the Netherlands for respective T20I series. The last 50-over Asia Cup was played in the ODI format in which the Indians ran over Sri Lanka in the Final. Having said that, the Lankan Lions are the defending champions for the T20 Asia Cup, having lifted the title in 2022.
One of the things which holds extreme importance for a team in Asian conditions is the quality of their spinners. Very seldom does a pitch in the subcontinent offer more pace than spin. And hence, in most circumstances, the result of the matches depends on how well the spinners bowl in the middle-overs and how well batters can play spin. Here are some of the best spinners who will be on display in the Asia Cup 2025.
The 34-year-old is probably one of the best spinners going around in India. After making his debut in the shortest format in 2021, the mystery spinner has bagged 33 wickets in just 18 appearances. He has two five-wicket hauls to his name, and has wreaked havoc in most batting camps.
Though Chakaravarthy is known for his mystery bowling, he started off on a slow note. After picking a wicket each in his first two games, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowler went wicketless in the next four T20Is. However, he showed his true colours at the international level against Bangladesh in Gwalior in 2024.
What makes it difficult for the batters to pick him off his hands is the way his action is curated. He is more of a mystery bowler, and as a result, the batters have to pick him off the wicket. This is even more difficult as the batters are left guessing which way the ball will go. As a spinner, if a bowler is able to rush his counterpart into playing a false shot, he wins. And Chakaravarthy is making it quite a habit.
The leg-spinner from Afghanistan is always on the list of lethal spin-bowling options around the world. He burst onto the scene almost a decade ago in a series against Zimbabwe, picking two wickets in as many matches. In 99 matches since, Rashid has managed to pick 167 wickets at an economy of just over six.
Though Rashid is a leg-spinner, he is known to deceive the batters with his speed. Come the Asia Cup 2025, the Afghan spinner will be one of the threats to watch out for. Moreover, it is difficult for batters to pick his googly, and that is where he causes a lot of trouble. For a right-hander, the major challenge is to observe which ball will come in as opposed to the stock delivery.
In the ongoing tri-series, Rashid has picked six wickets in three games and is the highest wicket-taker in the competition. Overall in T20Is, the 26-year-old has eight four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls to his name. The Afghans will rely a lot on him to keep batters quiet in the middle-order.
India’s premier chinaman bowler holds some prolific records to his name. But he has had a fair share of sluggish moments in his career. The 30-year-old was a part of India’s Test squad for the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. But unfortunately, he did not feature in a single Test. However, with the change of formats, Kuldeep Yadav will believe that he has a good chance.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner can easily run through batting orders. Left-arm wrist-spinners are extremely rare in cricket because of the damage they can inflict. Kuldeep has the tendency to deceive batters through his trajectory and the dip that he can put behind the delivery. The ball also tends to drift away from the right-hander, coming in later to crash into the stumps.
In 40 T20Is till date, the chinaman has bagged 69 wickets with two five-wicket hauls to his name. To add to that, his economy is under seven, which is a testament to his skill in the format. Batters are easily tempted to go for the long hit, and this is where Kuldeep generates his chances, inducing the most damage.
One of the simplest actions, but maximum damage. Mohammad Nabi has been around the Afghanistan cricketing circuit for quite a while, and is one of their most experienced players. In 135 matches, he has registered over 100 wickets in the shortest format. He has bagged three four-wicket hauls in T20Is, and has opened the bowling on multiple occasions.
The way Nabi produces his wickets is unique. When most of the bowlers run after wickets, Nabi tries to strangle the run-scoring ability of the batters. When they are not able to score runs at a quick pace, the batters immediately look to try something out of the box. And this is where Nabi comes into the picture.
He is known for bowling consistent lines and lengths, which curates wickets for Afghanistan. Nabi gets his wickets by playing with the batters’ psyche, which is a skill. His abilities with respect to opening the bowling are also regarded highly, as he is able to generate a lot of drift behind the ball.
One of the curators of India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will rely a lot on the abilities of Axar Patel. His left-arm orthodox bowling is extremely accurate. Axar does not give away freebies to the batter and is one of the most consistent spinners.
In 71 T20Is, he has bagged as many wickets. Though he has not been able to go past the three-wicket hurdle in his career in the shortest format, Axar can make use of his height to the best of his abilities. The left-handed all-rounder can also use the crease efficiently, and is known to vary the speeds of his delivery.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper will be vital to India’s chances in the middle-overs, especially if the pacers are being taken to the cleaners. Axar’s arm-ball is as effective as the one that goes away from right-handers, and batters will have to be vary of that delivery.
Probably new to the challenges of international cricket, Noor Ahmad is already regarded as one of the most dangerous spinners from Afghanistan. The 20-year old has just been a part of 15 T20Is in his brief career. To add to that, he has been a part of multiple franchise leagues in the world, which is an indication of what his skills behold.
In the 15 games he has played in the shortest format, he has scalped nine wickets. His economy reads 6.08, which is extremely good for a wrist spinner in T20Is. The 20-year-old made his debut for Afghanistan in 2022, and broke the deadlock with a four-wicket haul on debut. But since then, the youngster has not been able to scalp more than two wickets in any game till date.
Noor will hope that he is able to being back his A game in the upcoming Asia Cup. His performance in the middle-order along with other Afghanistan bowlers will be crucial to their chances in the tournament.
Being credited as one of the best spinners in Sri Lanka currently, Wanindu Hasaranga is surely living up to the hype. But he has been out of action in the shortest format for quite some time. The 28-year-old possesses a lot of experience in the 20-over format and can skittle batters at will.
In 79 T20Is, he has gotten rid of batters 131 times at an economy of less than seven. His best figures read 4/9, which is a testament to the skill he holds. The Sri Lankan leg-spinner has also registered four-wicket hauls on as many occasions.
The Sri Lankan’s googly is extremely difficult to pick and batters have found themselves wanting to that delivery. This is because of Hasaranga’s ability to bowl the stock delivery and the googly with the same release action. Moreover, Hasaranga also possesses a strong slider delivery, which hurries onto the batter.
One of the newest entrants on the international stage, Allah Ghazanfar is yet another young sensation from Afghanistan. The greatest advantage which the Afghans will have in the tournament is the quality of their spin attack, which does not cease to impress, at least on paper.
Ghazanfar has played 14 matches in the Vitality Blast, and has been successful in picking 16 wickets. At the international level, the young star has played just a solitary game in the shortest format. Moreover, in 11 ODIs, he has managed to pick 21 wickets for the Afghans.
Come to Asia Cup 2025, Ghazanfar would mostly not start for Rashid Khan & Co. But with the kind of ability he possesses, it would be unfair to rule him out. The 19-year-old has a quick action and can take the batter by storm with his accurate lines. Moreover, he can also vary his pace to beat the batter in the air.
Along with his bowling, Maheesh Theekshana is widely known for his unique celebration after taking a wicket. Over the years, Theekshana has been an important member of Sri Lanka’s bowling plans, especially in the shortest format of the game. His experience and guidance to youngsters like Dunith Wellalage will be important for the Lankans to make a mark in the tournament.
The 25-year-old has been a part of 64 T20Is till date, in which he has scalped 61 wickets. Theekshana is has represented multiple franchises over the world in different leagues, one of which is the Indian Premier League (IPL). To add to that, his mystery bowling action and accurate delivery will make the batters’ life difficult in the UAE.
Will Theekshana be able to bring out the bow and arrow? Only time will tell.
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The youngster is the third-highest wicket-taker amongst spinner for Bangladesh in T20Is. Rishad bagged 14 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, which was on-par with Rashid Khan. The 23-year-old is one of the most exciting prospects from Bangladesh in terms of spin bowling.
In 41 matches of the 20-over format, Rishad has scalped 48 wickets (the most after Shakib Al Hasan and Mahedi Hasan). Having said that, his economy is a bit over eight, and that is where he will have to put in some work. He has already bagged 10 wickets in 2025, and will be hungry for more in thee upcoming tournament.
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