KEY POINTS
- The Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship, starting November 14, 2025, features India and Pakistan in a rebranded showdown.
- Tensions from the 2025 Asia Cup still linger, including unresolved disputes over the trophy.
- Afghanistan, the defending champions, aim to defend their title amidst the India-Pakistan drama.
DOHA, Qatar: Cricket fans are gearing up for an electrifying showdown as India and Pakistan are set to face off once again in the newly renamed ‘Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship,’ formerly known as the Emerging Asia Cup.
The rebranded tournament is scheduled to begin on November 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar, with a fresh set of expectations and potential controversies.
The upcoming competition follows the much-talked-about Asia Cup 2025, which was marred by several incidents, including the infamous handshake saga between India and Pakistan and the ongoing dispute over the trophy.
India’s lack of a celebratory final after their victory stirred tensions, which were further exacerbated by political tensions between the two nations, following the May Pahalgam incident.
The Asia Cup trophy remains unresolved, with India yet to receive it. ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated, “If India truly wants the trophy, they are welcome to come to the ACC office and collect it from me.”
Tournament Format and Teams
The ‘Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship’ will feature eight teams: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, the UAE, and Hong Kong.
The 15-match tournament will be played in a T20 format, with the top two teams from each group progressing directly to the semifinals.
This year’s competition will do away with the Super Four round, making the path to the final more direct.
The tournament’s final is set for November 23, 2025, and will witness the champion rise from the clash of cricketing giants, with India and Pakistan expected to be at the heart of the drama.
Afghanistan, the winners of the last edition in 2024, will aim to defend their title, having outclassed Sri Lanka A in a thrilling final at Al-Nahda Stadium in Oman.
New Chapter in the Asia Cup Rivalry
The India-Pakistan rivalry remains one of the most anticipated matchups in international cricket, and as both teams take part in the rebranded event, the question of whether the tournament will spark further controversy lingers.
With the unresolved issues from the Asia Cup 2025 still fresh in the minds of fans, the eyes of the cricketing world will be on Qatar as the two nations battle it out once again.
This tournament, while promising excitement and top-level cricket, will also inevitably come under the microscope, as both teams try to prove their dominance on the field and navigate the tensions off it.
The ‘Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship’ is not just a contest of cricketing prowess, but a chance to resolve lingering disputes and rekindle a fierce rivalry that has long captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
