The reigning champions India is all set to kickoff their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the United Arab Emirates.
The much-awaited ACC Asia Cup 2025 will commence on September 9 with the opening clash between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The reigning champions, India, are all set to kickoff their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the following day, where all the matches will take place.
Earlier, India was set to host the 17th edition of the tournament, but the recent political tensions with the neighbouring country, Pakistan, acted as a key factor in shifting the league’s venue. Moreover, the tournament has also seen a change in its match timings due to the recent excessive heatwaves in the UAE.
The matches were set to start from 6:00 PM in the evening (local time), but keeping in mind the players’ health and to avoid exhaustion, the fixtures will start from 6:30 PM instead, half an hour later than the previously decided schedule-time.
The upcoming 20-over tournament will serve as a crucial chance for the Asian teams to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Men in Blue will also enter that tournament as the defending champions after defeating South Africa in the summit clash of the latest edition in 2024.
However, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. have been named in Group A alongside their arch-rivals Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman. On the other hand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong have been named in Group B. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format where each team will take on the other once. Following this, two table-toppers from both groups will qualify for the Super Fours.
India, the most successful team in the history of the Asia Cup (both T20I and ODI combined), would look to carry on the same momentum after claiming the home T20I series 2-1 against England earlier in the year. Previously, they outclassed the hosts Sri Lanka in last season’s Final to win their eighth title in this league.
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Here is a look at India’s group-stage schedule for the Asia Cup 2025:
DATES | VENUES | FIXTURES | MATCH TIMINGS |
September 10 | Dubai | India vs United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 8:00 PM IST and 6:30 PM local time |
September 14 | Dubai | India vs Pakistan | 8:00 PM IST and 6:30 PM local time |
September 19 | Abu Dhabi | India vs Oman | 8:00 PM IST and 6:30 PM local time |
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