After months of speculation and political uncertainty, the Asia Cup 2025 has finally found its home—and its future. From September 9 to 28, the tournament will unfold across the UAE, marking a historic edition of the continent’s premier cricketing contest.
A Venue Born of Diplomacy
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) convened in Dhaka for its annual general meeting in May, amid a recent military standoff between India and Pakistan.
Many feared this would again push the Asia Cup into uncertainty. But the scheduled meeting went ahead, and cricket prevailed.
Although India officially retains hosting rights, a bilateral agreement brokered earlier this year between the BCCI and PCB ensures that any bilateral matches involving India and Pakistan will be held at neutral venues for the next three years.
This model was piloted successfully during the recent ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, where India played all their matches—including the final—at neutral venues in Dubai. That precedent now becomes policy.
Did All Members Join the Meeting?
Notably, some ACC officials were absent in Dhaka, raising eyebrows about the consensus. However, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi clarified the optics.
“Every board ensured representation. Physical absence doesn’t mean disengagement,” he explained.
“We’ve all missed meetings due to logistical issues. What matters is that every voice was heard and every seat at the table mattered.”
A Bigger Asia Cup
Asia Cup 2025 will be the most inclusive edition yet. More than a decade ago, only four teams contested the tournament in a single-group format.
The inclusion of Afghanistan as a permanent member expanded the field to five, and the ACC Men’s Premier Cup created a pathway for a sixth. But 2025 introduced a paradigm shift.
Oman, Hong Kong, and the UAE earned their tickets to the main draw by finishing in the top three of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup.
Their entry expands the competition to eight teams—making room not only for stronger competition but also for the ambitions of emerging cricketing nations.
Group A comprises India, Pakistan, Oman, and the hosts UAE. Group B includes Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.
The tournament will open on September 9 with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong, while the marquee India–Pakistan clash is slated for September 14 in Dubai.
The format remains simple but intense. Each group sends its top two teams into the Super Four stage, from which the top two progress to the final on September 28.
Pakistan vs India Clash—Thrice?
The tournament design raises an exciting possibility: three India–Pakistan clashes in the span of two weeks.
Following their guaranteed face-off in the group stage, the two sides could meet again in the Super Four on September 21—and, should form and fate align, a blockbuster final may await on September 28.
Despite their longstanding rivalry, the two sides have never met in an Asia Cup final. Could 2025 finally deliver that long-awaited climax?
India entered the tournament as defending champions, having dismantled Sri Lanka in the 2023 final.
Sri Lanka themselves have a recent pedigree too, having clinched the T20 edition in 2022 by defeating Pakistan.
Politics of Cricket
Asia Cup 2025 is a testament not only to the region’s cricketing depth but also to the reality that money, more than morality, often decides the fixtures we see.
And so long as revenue dictates reason, the world will continue to witness this uneasy dance between rivalry, diplomacy, and market forces, wrapped in the colours of cricket.
This selective engagement exposes the double standards at play. If India can face Pakistan in front of a global audience in Dubai or Melbourne in tournaments, then the premise of cutting bilateral ties at neutral venues collapses under its own contradiction. It’s not about principles—it’s about profits.
