Asia Cup 2025: The Next Chapter of Asian Cricket Supremacy
Since its creation in 1984, the Asia Cup has taken up a curious place in the calendar. It provides an exciting battleground for Asian cricket teams jostling to be the No.1 side. Although it is supposed to be a biennial tournament, in some years, there have been three or four-year gaps between events. Moreover, the format has regularly switched between T20 and ODI, a rule introduced in 2016. The Asia Cup 2025 edition is likely to serve as a precursor to the 2026 T20 World Cup, and there is plenty up for grabs, not least bragging rights. To capture the excitement, we have provided an Asia Cup preview for 2025, exploring likely teams and what to expect.
Which is the most successful Asia Cup team? SportsBoom has combined a statistical score and expert opinions to find the ‘SB Market Index’ to answer this question.
Asia Cup 2025: At a Glance
Host Nation: Rumoured to be UAE, but TBC by Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Expected Dates: Earmarked to start in September 2025, pending official ACC announcement, and could finish in early October.
Tournament Format: Expected to be T20 to serve as warm-up for the T20 World Cup in 2026.
Number of Teams: Likely to be eight, including three qualifiers.
Defending Champion: India were 2023 Asia Cup winners.
Host Nation and Venues for Asia Cup 2025
Currently, there has been no official confirmation about the Asia Cup 2025 host. It is rumoured to be the UAE or Sri Lanka, with the ACC expected to pick a neutral venue.
Bids are submitted to the ACC, and interested parties must submit a business proposal, explaining eligibility and how they meet specific criteria.
The ACC set a base price of $170 million for full media rights to cover the 2023-2031 Asia Cup tournament cycle, and Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) landed the lucrative contract.
If the UAE does host the 2025 Asia Cup, the following three stadiums could be used: Dubai International Cricket Stadium (Dubai), the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium (Abu Dhabi), and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium (Sharjah).
Tournament Format and Schedule Details
The Asia Cup 2025 dates haven’t been fixed. However, it is likely to be T20s, capitalising on the successes of other T20 domestic competitions, such as the IPL and PSL, that have captivated the interests of cricket fans worldwide.
The 17th edition promises to be fun, and the Asia Cup format for 2025 is set to be as follows:
- There are set to be eight Asia Cup 2025 teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.
- The teams will be split into two groups of four, with each team playing three matches.
- The top two qualify for the Super Four.
- Winners of the Super Four matches will contest the Final, but the date is unknown.
The ACC will release the full schedule closer to the tournament start date.
Participating Teams: The Contenders for Asian Glory
There are five full-time ACC members: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who earned automatic qualification to the 2025 Asia Cup.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Oman, and the UAE secured their spots at the tournament by finishing in the top three at the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup.
India are seven-time winners, and they are the Asia Cup defending champions. India boasts plenty of strength, including Rohit Sharma, who is one of the most prolific run-getters in the IPL, excelling in domestic and international T20 cricket.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will feel they have a point to prove after losing out in the 2023 Asia Cup final. They boast great spin bowlers, including leg spinners, however, they could be pushed hard by Pakistan. They are anchored by Babar Azam, who is a supremely talented batter, underlined by the fact he’s scored the most runs in PSL history.
Key Storylines and Players to Watch for Asia Cup 2025
The Asia Cup 2025 could have plenty of flashpoints, and we have pinpointed potential talking points:
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup dynamic: This is always a major draw, given the longstanding rivalry, and these two teams could reach the final. The current political tensions only amplify this.
India’s form: India have looked formidable, and that was emphasised by the emphatic T20 series success over England earlier in the year.
Emerging talents: The tournament is set to feature some promising, exciting talents, such as India pace bowler Harshit Rana, Pakistan middle-order batter Irfan Khan, while Sri Lanka’s Duninth Wellalage, who is only 22, and a surviving member of the failed T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
Established Superstars: India can call upon Virat Kohli, widely seen as the king of cricket, while Sri Lanka have a brilliant all-rounder in Wanindu Hasaranga in their ranks who is an aggressive legbreak bowler. Meanwhile, Pakistan are flushed with talent too, including the aforementioned Babar Azam.
Preparation for the next T20 World Cup – The Asia Cup 2025 serves as a springboard for next year’s T20 World Cup, giving teams to test out fresh tactics.
A Look Back: Recap of the Previous Asia Cup
India are the reigning Asia Cup champions. They made light work of Sri Lanka in the 2023 final, cruising to a 10-wicket victory with 263 balls to spare.
The 2023 tournament was an ODI format, and India were superior throughout the tournament. This was underlined by a crushing 228-run win over Pakistan in the Super Fours. Due to tensions with Pakistan, India played their matches in Sri Lanka.
How to Stay Updated on Asia Cup 2025
Users can stay on top of all the Asia Cup 2025 action through the official ACC website. Alternatively, SportsBoom will have all the latest news and analysis once official details are confirmed, so you don’t miss a beat.
Conclusion
Cricket tournaments in Asia, such as the Asia Cup, are special occasions, and the Asia Cup 2025 will be no different. It promises to be a celebration of Asian cricketing excellence, and with the battle for Asian supremacy on the line, it should be thrilling from start to finish. We can’t wait to see a new chapter unfold filled with unforgettable moments.
REFERENCES
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Sony Network Pictures India wins the media rights for the 2025 Asia Cup: News covering the eight-year deal worth $170 million - https://www.sportspro.com/news/sony-networks-india-asian-cricket-council-media-rights-tv-audio-digital-november-2024/
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What are the squads for the Asia Cup 2023?
Squads are not declared as yet. We will update you as soon as we have the information.
Which team won most Asia Cup?
India is the most successful team in Asia cup with seven titles (6 ODI and 1 T20I) with the latest one coming in 2018 which was also the last Asia cup edition to be played in the fifty over format. The current title holder is Sri Lanka who won the previous edition last year played in the T20 format in the UAE.
Asia Cup prize money
The prize money for the upcoming Asia cup is yet to be announced by ACC. However, the winning team received approximately INR 1,59,53,000 in the previous edition with the runner up taking INR 79,66,000 in their kitty.
Top scorer in Asia Cup?
Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka holds the record of most runs in Asia cup having scored 1,220 at an average of 53.04. In the list of active players, Rohit Sharma is leading the charts with 745 runs at an average of 46.56.
Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan leads the leading wicket takers chart with 30 scalps to his name. In the list of currently active players, Ravindra Jadeja (India) and Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) both have 19 wickets to their name. Co-incidentally both are all-rounders who bowl left arm orthodox spin.
Who is the most successful captain in Asia Cup?
Mohammad Azharuddin and MS Dhoni are the most successful captains in the Asia cup as the Indian team won twice in their leadership. Azharuddin took the team to glory in 1990 & 1995 whereas Dhoni was the skipper when India lifted the trophy in 2010 & 2016. The 2016 edition was played in the T20I format for the first time. Dhoni also captained the team in one game during the 2018 edition.
Dhoni is tied with Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga winning most number of matches (9) as a captain. Pakistan’s Moin Khan has a 100%-win record as skipper (6 matches) as he led the team to their title in 2000 winning four games on the trot and. Rohit Sharma who was the captain in the 2018 edition also has five out of five wins. Pak’s Misbah-ul-Haq has the highest winning percentage (70) for a player who has captained at least 10 games in the Asia cup.
## How many times Pakistan won Asia Cup?
Pakistan has won two editions of Asia cup. They won their first edition in the year 2000 under Moin Khan’s captaincy. Under Misbah-ul-Haq’s captaincy Pakistan won the 2012 Asia Cup played in Bangladesh. In 2012 Asia Cup three teams had won 2 matches each in the group stage but a superior net run rate meant Pakistan met Bangladesh in the finals where they won a thrilling encounter by just 2 runs.
Will Bumrah play 2023 Asia Cup?
Team India’s spearhead in all the three formats Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out from all forms of cricket after a back injury and hasn’t played any competitive cricket after September 2022. He went through a back surgery in New Zealand and is bowling at full intensity as his rehab comes to the final stage in National Cricket Academy (NCA). The NCA will organize some practice games for players who have been ruled out due to injury or other issues. It is indicated that Bumrah might be picked for the T20I series in Ireland to take place in August to test his workload. India captain Rohit Sharma said that the management and leadership wants to give Bumrah more and more games before the World cup. It’s still unknown whether Bumrah will be fit for the Asia cup or not but the chances of him playing the multi nation tournament seems grim.
Where to watch Asia Cup 2023?
Star Sports is the official broadcaster for all the Asian Cricket Council tournaments and will broadcast and live stream the tournament in the Indian subcontinent. The fans in Pakistan can watch the match on PTV Sports and A Sports. Fans in Nepal can catch the games on Action Sports Channel. Afghanistan viewers will have the services of Radio Television (RTA Sports). T Sports will bring the coverage to the Bangladeshi screens.