Cricket lovers, fasten your seatbelts! The Asia Cup 2025 is all geared up to host scintillating T20 action, with the continent's best teams. Here's what you should know about the tournament.
Tournament Format & Teams
T20 Format: Quick-fire, high-intensity matches.
8 Teams: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, and Hong Kong.
19 Matches: Lots of exciting matches lined up!

ASIA CUP 2025 UPDATES: [Cricbuzz]

- T20I format.
- 8 teams (IND, PAK, SL, BAN, AFG, Oman, UAE, HK)
- 19 games.
- India vs Pakistan could potentially play 3 times.
- UAE or SL as venues.
- September 2nd week to 4th week pic.twitter.com/bb4BiOFhmX

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 27, 2025

ALSO SEE: Delhi Capitals Appoint Kevin Pietersen as Mentor for IPL 2025

When & Where?
The tournament will be held in September (2nd to 4th week).
As of now, the venue is not decided but Sri Lanka or UAE are likely to host the event.
India vs Pakistan: A Dream Rivalry!
One of the highlights of this tournament is that India and Pakistan are likely to feature up to three times a group stage once, then the Super Four, and perhaps even once in the final! Cricketing fans could hardly wish for anything more!
Why Is This Asia Cup Important?
This tournament will provide an excellent chance for teams to finalize their squads in preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup. It will also be a stage for emerging stars to make their presence felt on the global stage.
What's Next?
The official schedule, venues, and fixtures will be announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) soon. Until then, everyone waits with bated breath for this much-awaited tournament, which guarantees edge-of-the-seat action!

We just experienced an India vs Pakistan cricket match during Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which India comfortably won with dominating performances in every challenge. While the tournament is still running, another India vs Pakistan cricket match is waiting for this calendar year.

Recently, India have mostly dominated against Pakistan in any format of cricket. In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India claimed a six-wicket win against the defending champions Pakistan last Sunday (February 23).

While the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is running in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, which will run till March 9, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is eyeing to work on the schedule for the Asia Cup 2025, which will run in a T20I format. 

See Also: Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Nightmare: A Tournament to Forget!

Know about the next Asia Cup tournaments

For the ongoing cycle, ending in 2031, we are yet to experience four men's Asia Cup tournaments, two in the T20I formats (2025 and 2029) and two in ODI formats (2027 and 2031). The Asia Cup T20I is set to run with eight teams from 2025, while the remaining Asia Cup ODIs in the ongoing cycle are planned with six teams. The upcoming T20 editions will run with 19 matches each, and the upcoming ODI editions will run with 13 matches each. 

India will be the hosts for the Asia Cup 2025, while Pakistan has the hosting rights for the next T20 Asia Cup in 2029. Meanwhile, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will host the next two ODI Asia Cups in 2027 and 2031, respectively. At least for the ongoing cycle, ACC has reportedly decided to follow neutral venues when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have the hosting rights for the tournament. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Sri Lanka has the better chance to host the Asia Cup 2025, under the hosting rights of the BCCI. 

India vs Pakistan match can be played three more times in 2025

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was the first India vs Pakistan match in international cricket in 2025. Although Pakistan are already out of the tournament and India are ready for the Semi-finals in the ongoing ICC tournament, they can meet thrice during the Asia Cup 2025. In the Asia Cup 2025, India and Pakistan are in the same group along with two other qualifiers. If both India and Pakistan qualify, they can face each other in the Super Fours and the Final of the tournament.

The ACC has chosen September for the Asia Cup 2025. According to Cricbuzz news, the Asia Cup 2025 can run between the second and the fourth week of September. 

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and legendary all-rounder Wasim Akram strongly criticized Pakistan's team management after their loss to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The defeat at the Dubai International Stadium has almost ended Pakistan’s chances in the tournament.

A frustrated Akhtar didn't hold back, openly expressing his disappointment. "If I wasn’t getting paid, I wouldn’t even talk about Pakistan cricket. Honestly, I have nothing to do with them anymore. I come here because I’m asked to, not because I want to criticize them. Why should I waste my time?" he said in a video that quickly went viral on social media.

Shoaib Akhtar slams Pakistan’s selection choices, criticizing their lack of clear direction, skillset, and strategic planning in comparison to India.#TOKSports #ShoaibAkhtar #PAKvIND #ICCChampionsTrophy #tokct25 pic.twitter.com/Xa3ODOKgFh

— TOK Sports (@TOKSports021) February 24, 2025

Akhtar slammed Pakistan's management and Pakistani team, calling them "brainless and clueless" for picking only five bowlers when most teams use six bowlers on their team. "You go with two all-rounders, but this is just poor management. I'm disappointed," he said.  

Shoaib Akhtar rips into Babar Azam & Pakistan after dismal show against India! 🤯🇵🇰#PAKvIND #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/wYWYrr5rCh

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) February 24, 2025

He also blamed the team's struggles on weak Captaincy and a lack of player form in the team. Wasim Akram backed Akhtar and called for big changes to rebuild Pakistan’s white-ball team. "We've been playing old-fashioned cricket for years, and it needs to change. Bring in fearless young players. If you need to make five or six changes, do it. Even if we lose for six months, that's fine, but start preparing for the World T20 2026 now," Akram said on the show Dressing Room after the defeat against India.

ALSO READ: Record-Breaking Viewership

#INDvsPAK #ChampionsTrophy | #Pakistan are all but out of the Champions Trophy 2025 after their limp defeat to India.

Legendary fast bowler @shoaib100mph lashed out at the team, highlighting the lack of winning culture.

Akhtar slammed the Pakistan team management for playing… pic.twitter.com/zoXoQycYIR

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) February 24, 2025

He was also worried about Pakistan’s bowling and shared some shocking stats. "Enough is enough. These bowlers have been treated like stars, but in the last five ODIs, they’ve taken just 24 wickets, giving away 60 runs per wicket. Our bowling average is even worse than Oman and the USA. Out of the 14 teams playing ODIs, Pakistan’s bowling is the second worst." After Pakistan’s poor performance, Akhtar had great things to say about Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 100 off 111 balls to lead India to win. "Hats off to him, he's a superstar and a modern-day great. I really hope he reaches 100 international centuries," Akhtar said. 

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer stunned the media by saying the win against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 would have been a convincing victory by finishing the game earlier. 

Last Sunday (February 23), India faced Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where the defending champions Pakistan chose to bat first after winning the toss. It was an important match for both teams, as Pakistan suffered a defeat in their first game of the tournament by 60 runs against New Zealand, and India beat Bangladesh by six wickets in their first fixture of the competition.

Pakistan batters failed to pressurise disciplined Indian bowlers, and it resulted in 241 all out for Pakistan in 49.4 overs. In reply, Virat Kohli completed his century on the last ball and the opener Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer also played strong roles with the bat, as India chased down the target in 42.3 overs after losing four wickets. India successfully chased down the target with 45 balls remaining, but Iyer felt that they could finish the game earlier. 

See Also: Hardik Pandya Creates History, Becomes Leading Wicket-Taker Against Pakistan in ICC Tournaments

I think we could have won a bit earlier: Shreyas Iyer

Iyer scored a valuable 56 off 67 balls with five fours and one six. He had a crucial 114-run partnership with Kohli for the third wicket that ended the remaining hope for Pakistan in the match. Although India finished the match comfortably, the top middle-order batter feels they could have won the game earlier. 

Iyer said in the post-match press conference, "I think we could have won a bit earlier. It would have been a convincing win."

Iyer feels that they should have played more aggressively. He added, "But if we could have played more aggressively, we could have won a bit earlier."

I think Abrar bowled brilliantly: Shreyas Iyer

Only Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed provided some solid fightback among the Pakistan bowlers. In his 10 overs, the leg-spinner had the bowling figures of 28 for one wicket. As Abrar was bowling really well, as he dismissed the set batter Gill for 46 runs with a beauty, Iyer and Kohli were handling the leggie respectfully at the crucial moment. 

Talking about the situation, Iyer said, "I think Abrar bowled brilliantly. It was important and crucial for me to play out that spell and rotate the strike at the same time. It took some time and then once my eyes were set, I thought that sweep and reverse sweep would have been a great option to put them on the back foot. And I think that worked pretty well for me.

"It wasn't easy to take charge against Abrar. In that particular phase, it was important to take singles as much as possible and take the team to the end. Once we reach 30 or 40 runs, it is easy to charge on from there."

Iyer had a slow start in the chase as the right-handed batter once scored 17 off 33 balls. But soon after that, Iyer was going well by dealing with some boundaries. While there was no boundary, he and Kohli were always busy moving the scoreboard with singles and doubles. 

During India vs Pakistan Group A match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian legend Virat Kohli set another world record in international cricket as the right-handed batter became the fastest to complete 14000 ODI runs. 

After choosing to bat first, Pakistan managed to score 241 runs. India got a comfortable start despite the skipper Rohit Sharma having a short stay of entertaining 20 runs. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who has recently struggled to score good runs, joined the other opener Shubman Gill after the fifth over.

See Also: Ind vs Pak: Rohit Sharma leaves legends behind, sets new ODI record

Virat Kohli took 287 innings to complete 14000 ODI runs

Kohli, who was playing his 299th ODI match and 287th ODI innings, was 15 runs away from completing his 14000 ODI runs. The right-handed batter comfortably completed his 14000 ODI runs with a boundary as the right-handed batter became the third cricketer to record 14000 ODI runs. 

By completing 14000 ODI runs in 287 innings, Kohli became the fastest batter to reach this milestone. Legendary Indian Sachin Tendulkar was the first batter to reach the 14000 ODI runs milestone in 350 innings. Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara was the second player to complete 14000 ODI runs and the left-handed batter took 378 innings to reach this milestone. 

Fastest to 14000 ODI runs

Pakistan Fans Heartbroken After Loss to India

Cricket fans from India and Pakistan always get emotional when their teams play against each other. In the Champions Trophy 2025 match on Sunday, where Pakistan batted first, fans had plenty to say about the game. Pakistan fans were heartbroken after losing to India and shared their frustration on X (formerly Twitter). Many were upset with the team's slow batting and lack of intent. In today's fast-paced T20 cricket, they felt Pakistan should have played with more aggression.

Kalesh b/w Pakistani fans and innocent TV after Pakistan lost the Match against
Team India🇮🇳
pic.twitter.com/YrcaKdwNKI

— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) February 23, 2025

Pakistan cricket fan breaks down after Pak loss against India

& they want Kashmir 🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/njfco9Gxhf

— Frontalforce 🇮🇳 (@FrontalForce) February 23, 2025

ALSO READ: Watch: How does Rohit Sharma encourage Virat Kohli to complete century?

Pakistani fans react to their team's loss today 😲

Watch it 👇#ChampionsTrophy#INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/HyU6f0g4TN

— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) February 23, 2025

Reactions of Pakistani after Pakistan Lost against India. #INDvsPAK #PAKvsIND pic.twitter.com/3ENpr3sQmG

— rae (@ChillamChilli) February 23, 2025

Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, and Zainab Abbas reacted with a song after Pakistan's loss to India.#TOKSports #PAKvIND #ICCChampionsTrophy #ShoaibMalik #MohammadHafeez pic.twitter.com/YP36Rlp0Gh

— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) February 23, 2025

Pakistan's loss to India has pushed them closer to being knocked out, especially since they had already lost to New Zealand. On the other hand, India's win has brought them one step closer to the semifinals.

India comfortably beat the hosts and defending champions Pakistan in the Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Although India comfortably chased down the target, the game still ended in a thrilling way in other view, as the Indian fans were hoping for Virat Kohli's deserving 51st ODI century and 82nd international hundred. From the dressing room, Indian captain Rohit Sharma encouraged the former Indian captain Kohli to complete the match with his hundred. 

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan chose to bat first. However, Pakistan batters failed to challenge the Indian bowlers, while the Indian fielders supported the bowlers well. Ultimately, Pakistan were all out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs. Only Saud Shakeel (62), captain Rizwan (46), and Khushdil Shah (38) brought some challenging batting performances for the Men in Green. Among the Indian bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31) managed to take more than one wicket. 

Also Watch: Abrar Ahmed Fires Up After Dismissing Shubman Gill in IND vs PAK Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli Left Shocked

India comfortably chased the 242-run target

Although the pitch was slower, Indian batters were comfortable, and Pakistan were always short of at least a regular spinner. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who already recorded the most ODI catches for India and the fastest 14000 ODI runs in the match, showed his form back with the bat against his favourite opponents by guiding the two-time Champions Trophy winners comfortably. Apart from a few uncomfortable moments with the bat in the early of the innings, Kohli was in complete control in the innings. 

The right-handed batter Virat Kohli completed his half-century in 62 balls and was approaching his comeback century nicely. In the last moment of the match, the required run and Kohli's distance from the century was running side by side. While his partner Axar Patel was busy to secure Kohli's century, the former Indian captain wasn't seen in any special thought for that century. In the final moment of the chasing, India were only two runs away from victory, while Kohli needed four runs to complete his 51st ODI century. 

Rohit Sharma wanted a sixer from Virat Kohli to complete chasing with century

From the dressing room, Indian captain Rohit Sharma laughingly made the gesture towards Kohli to complete this match with a sixer as it would help Kohli to end the match with a century.

rohit saying 'six maar' 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RLOmy9Zn97

— T. (@iklamhaa) February 23, 2025

Virat Kohli had no doubt

However, Kohli was confident enough and comfortably hit a four over extra cover after coming down the track and ended the game with his century. After finishing the game, Kohli happily showed the dressing room that he was confident enough to secure his century and finish the game as well. Kohli ended the game with 100 not out off 111 balls with seven fours. 

𝗞𝗢𝗛𝗟𝗜 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘! 💯@imVkohli takes #TeamIndia over the line, bringing his first-ever hundred in the #ChampionsTrophy, his 51st in ODIs, and 82nd across formats. 🙌

Take a bow, KING! 👑#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW on Star… pic.twitter.com/pzUmDiAtyp

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 23, 2025

Two-time ICC Champions Trophy winners India comfortably beat arch-rival Pakistan in the Group A fixture of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With this win, India have put a big step ahead for the Semi-finals of the tournament. Meanwhile, the hosts and defending champions now have to look at the other results as any of Bangladesh and New Zealand's double victories in the group stage will out them from the tournament.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan chose to bat first after winning the toss at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. While Pakistan scored 241 all out in 49.4 overs, India comfortably chased the target in 42.3 overs after losing four wickets. 

See Also: Not Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma this Indian magician is headache for Pakistan team

Indian Pakistan batters never had strong moments against Indian bowlers

Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq had a good partnership of 41 runs. But Hardik Pandya produced India's first wicket as Babar, who seemed in good touch with the bat, was caught behind in the nine over after scoring 23 off 26 balls with five fours. In the next over, Imam unnecessarily went for a run, and Axar Patel's direct hit ended his innings for 10 off 26 balls. 

Saud Shakeel and captain Mohammad Rizwan tried to set up a solid partnership, but in that progress, their partnership started very slowly as they failed to score singles and doubles often in the boundaries dried up situation. Although they set a 104-run partnership for the third wicket, it didn't help much for them as that partnership took 24 overs.

Both the set batters lost their wickets in consecutive overs as Axar Patel bowled Rizwan for 46 off 77 balls and Pandya dismissed Shakeel for 62 off 76 balls. Later, only Khshudil Shah managed to reach the 20-run mark, while the Indian bowlers did very well in the slog overs. Shah scored 38 off 39 balls before losing the last wicket of Pakistan innings. 

All the Indian bowlers were very disciplined, where Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) took three wickets and Hardik Pandya (2/31) bagged two wickets.  

Centurion Virat Kohli controlled chasing with in-form Gill and Iyer

Indian captain Rohit Sharma had a short stay in the crease, but it was crucial and entertaining as he scored 20 off 15 balls. Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled Rohit in a superb delivery, which the Indian captain had no answer. In-form opener Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli built up a solid partnership, even after considering Gill got a life. They had a 69-run partnership for the second wicket before Abrar Ahmed bowled Gill with a beauty. Gill scored 46 off 52 balls with seven fours, as the opener missed the chance of recording five consecutive 50+ ODI scores.  

Kohli and Shreyas Iyer then controlled the chasing as Pakistan's hope ended comfortably. Apart from one drop chance of Iyer, that 114-run partnership was very clinical. Kohli, who became the fastest to complete 14000 ODI runs on the same evening, completed his half-century in 62 balls. Meanwhile, Iyer scored 50 runs in 63 balls despite having a slow start.

Iyer was dismissed for 56 off 67 balls with five fours and one six, while Hardik Pandya was dismissed for eight off six balls. However, Kohli and Axar Patel comfortably finished the game, while Kohli finished the game with a boundary that recorded his 51st ODI century. The Player of the Match Kohli scored 100 not out off 112 balls with seven fours. 

Babar Azam's record against India in ODIs. In five innings, he has scored 158 runs at an average of 31.60, with a strike rate of 88.46. He has only one fifty and is yet to score a century against India. In big tournaments, he has shown class but hasn’t played a match-winning knock yet. His best effort came in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, where he scored 46 off 52 balls in Pakistan’s title-winning game. In the 2019 World Cup, he made 48 off 57 balls, and in the 2023 World Cup, he scored 50 off 58 balls, but both times, Pakistan lost. His struggles continued in the 2023 Asia Cup, where he managed just 10 off 24 balls. Now, with the Champions Trophy 2025 match against India coming up, Babar has the perfect chance to turn things around.  Babar Azam scored 23 runs from 26 balls, hitting five fours but no sixes. He was looking good at starting but was eventually caught by KL Rahul off Hardik Pandya’s bowling. His strike rate was 88.4, but he couldn't convert his start into a big score.

Babar Azam has played 8 innings against India in ODIs, scoring 218 runs at an average of 31.14 with a strike rate of 75.17. He has only one half-century and is still waiting for his first century against India. While he has shown his talent in bits and pieces, he hasn’t been able to dominate India’s bowlers consistently. 

The wait for big score vs India continues for Babar Azam 🚶🚶 pic.twitter.com/ZKmW7EWwpj

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) February 23, 2025

ALSO READ: Watch: Hardik Pandya celebration after dismissing Babar Azam

Babar Azam has played two innings against India in the Champions Trophy, scoring 54 runs at an average of 27.00 with a strike rate of 94.74. He hasn’t scored a fifty or a hundred in the tournament yet. While he has shown promise, he hasn’t had a standout performance against India. With the Champions Trophy 2025 match coming up, Babar has a great chance to change that. A big knock in this high-pressure game could make a huge difference for both him and his team. Babar Azam scored 23 runs from 26 balls, hitting five fours but no sixes in the ICC Champions Trophy. He was looking good at starting but was eventually caught by KL Rahul off Hardik Pandya’s bowling. His strike rate was 88.4, but he couldn't convert his start into a big score again.

India Vs Pakistan is the biggest rivalry in cricketing history which consists of high-quality competitiveness and high-voltage drama. The match is played between 11 players but the stake is held between two countries. Already Yesterday we saw the best encounter between England Vs Australia which was a really high-scoring match where 600 above runs were scored. 
Australia opted to field first and within the first innings it seemed it would backfire them where England mounted a mammoth score of 350 plus with Ben Duckett scoring 150 plus runs. It seemed that Australia was done and dusted but, Australia is Australia they are always the champion side. With the help of Inglis century Australia chased the biggest target of ODI history. 
Rivalry In the Champions Trophy
India and Pakistan have played many bilateral series, Test Series and World Cups too. But in the Champions Trophy edition, they first met in 2004 which was a great high-voltage match. Pakistan posted 246/9, and India fell short, scoring 226.
2009 Champions Trophy
India lost the match while chasing the tough total, till the end Pakistan Bowlers held their nerves and delivered the plans perfectly. 
Read More: Spiking Rivalry Between Australia And England
2013 Champions Trophy
In this edition of the Champions Trophy India played Pakistan in Group Stages where Dhoni's men gave a clinical finish and ended Pakistan's dominance and won that edition too. 
2017 Champions Trophy
In the 2017 Champions Trophy India dominated them once in the group stages and won the match convincingly. But at the end of the final between these two teams Pakistan had the upper hand and won the final of that edition. 
Well for the time being it is Pakistan who has the advantage over these giant teams will it remain or change would be found within a few hours being. 
The Next Dawn Of Clash
Once again these teams are going to clash today after 8 years in the Champions Trophy due to COVID-19 restrictions Champions Trophy was upheld for tenure. Champions Pakistan have started their campaign with a loss against New Zealand that too in front of their home crowd. On the other hand, India started their campaign by beating Bangladesh. 
India has decided not to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons so the ongoing match between India and Pakistan commences in Dubai. The toss has been put up in Dubai where Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has won the toss and elected to bat first. Due to an injury claim for Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq has been replaced. India had played one game here so they know the condition very well and may have a slight advantage. It's going to be a crunch encounter between these two teams.