National Times Bureau, July 26, 2025: The Men’s Asia Cup 2025 will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to 28, confirmed Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The announcement, reported by ESPNcricinfo, ends speculation about the venue and participation of key teams, especially India and Pakistan.
This edition of the Asia Cup will follow the T20 International (T20I) format and will feature eight teams. The participants include the five full members of the ACC—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan—along with associate members UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.
The tournament’s return to the UAE signals a familiar setting for several teams. India notably played all its matches during a previous edition in Dubai, including a high-voltage encounter against hosts Pakistan, before eventually clinching the title in the final, also held in Dubai. Whether India and Pakistan will be drawn into the same group this year remains uncertain, but anticipation around the arch-rival clash is already high.
India enters the 2025 Asia Cup as the defending champion. In the 2023 edition, India had refused to travel to Pakistan due to diplomatic tensions, prompting Sri Lanka to step in as a neutral venue for India’s fixtures. That arrangement had sparked fresh conversations around security and politics influencing cricket in the subcontinent.
Earlier in May, a series of social media reports suggested that India would be withdrawing from both the Men’s Asia Cup and the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup due to strained relations with Pakistan. The speculation alleged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had communicated its withdrawal to the ACC.
However, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia strongly refuted these claims. He clarified that the BCCI had not made any such decision and described the reports as “speculative and imaginary.” His statement reaffirmed India’s commitment to participating in ACC tournaments despite geopolitical undercurrents.
As the countdown begins for the 2025 edition, all eyes are now on team announcements, groupings, and whether the iconic India-Pakistan showdown will light up the desert once again.
