Asia Cup 2025 — Complete Schedule, Venues & Fixtures

The Asia Cup 2025 arrives in the United Arab Emirates from 9–28 September 2025, staged as a T20 tournament and bringing together eight teams across two groups. This guide is your one-stop resource: full fixtures overview, venue guides for Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the tournament format, and compact histories plus confirmed squads for every participating nation. I’ve also included image suggestions and alt text so you can easily publish this as a polished CrickTales post. (Cricbuzz)

Quick facts — tournament at a glance

• Dates: 9–28 September 2025. (Cricbuzz)
• Format: T20 International (19 matches — group stage, super 4s and final). (Cricbuzz)
• Host: United Arab Emirates (main venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi). (Cricbuzz)
• Teams (8): India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Hong Kong. The five full ACC members automatically qualified; Oman, UAE and Hong Kong advanced via the ACC Premier Cup. (Wikipedia)

Full fixtures overview (high-level)

Note: For an interactive fixtures table (sortable by date/time) embed a Cricbuzz or ESPNcricinfo feed. Below is a representative match flow and the marquee fixtures to watch. Official match-by-match timings and playing-XI confirmations are published on the tournament pages and updated live. (Cricbuzz)

Opening weekend

• Sep 9: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong — Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. (Cricbuzz)
• Sep 10: India vs UAE — Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. (Cricbuzz)

Group stage runs through mid-September (each team plays round-robin within groups). There’s one double-header day and a couple of rest days built into the schedule. The Super 4 stage follows, culminating in the final in late September. For the authoritative match list, use the Cricbuzz fixtures page. (Cricbuzz)

Tournament format explained

• Group stage: Two groups of four; top two teams from each group progress.
• Super 4s: The four qualifiers play each other (carry-forward or fresh points depending on ACC rules for this edition); top two after Super 4 proceed to the final.
• Final: One-match decider between the top two teams.

Because the Asia Cup is played as T20 this edition (T20 World Cup year coming up), expect teams to treat the event both as a trophy hunt and final prep for global short-format selection. (Cricbuzz)

Venues: Dubai International Cricket Stadium & Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi)

Dubai International Cricket Stadium — Dubai (Dubai Sports City)

• Capacity: ~25,000.
• Characteristics: A modern stadium with the famous “ring of fire” lighting system. Pitches in Dubai often favour a balanced contest — good for stroke-play under lights with spinners making inroads in middle overs. Expect day-night fixtures to play well for power hitters once dew arrives.

Image suggestion: high-resolution exterior photo of Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Alt text: “Dubai International Cricket Stadium exterior, Asia Cup 2025 venue.”

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium — Abu Dhabi

• Capacity & feel: Slightly smaller and more intimate than Dubai’s big bowl, but world-class facilities and excellent floodlighting. Abu Dhabi pitches have been used for recent international fixtures and often produce conditions favouring wrist-spin and boundary scoring under lights.

Image suggestion: panoramic shot of Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Alt text: “Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium pitch and stands, Abu Dhabi.”

Travel & match-day tips (both venues):

• Arrive early (security and entry lines can be long for India–Pakistan or other high-profile matches).
• Temperatures in the UAE can be high; ensure hydration stations and shaded areas. Evening fixtures are usually more comfortable.
• Local transport: both stadiums are accessible by taxi / ride-hailing; pre-book if you’re on a tight schedule.

Group breakdown (high-level)

The official group allocation places full-member nations and qualifiers into two groups; this list reflects the published groups for Asia Cup 2025. For exact match order and stadium assignments, refer to the official fixtures pages. (Cricbuzz)

• Group A (example): India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE. (Cricbuzz)
• Group B (example): Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong. (Cricbuzz)

Participating teams — brief history & tournament outlook (with squads)

Below are compact histories and the confirmed squads announced for Asia Cup 2025 (authoritative squad lists: ICC and Cricbuzz squad pages). I’ll highlight each team’s tournament form, key players and squad notes. Where squads have recent changes I cite the board release updates.

India — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: India are one of Asia Cup’s most successful sides historically, with multiple titles across formats. In T20 editions they’ve often fielded a strong, star-studded lineup and remain favourites in most previews. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights: (captain and core) Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube — full squad published on official pages. India balances explosive top order options with seam/pace depth and all-round bench strength. (icc, Cricbuzz)

Outlook: India will aim to use the Asia Cup to finalize combinations for the T20 World Cup; expect aggressive batting orders and rotation of seamers for middle overs.

Pakistan — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Pakistan has a strong Asia Cup pedigree and depth in pace bowling. They are always a threat in shorter formats thanks to the unpredictability of their attack and hitting power. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights: Pakistan’s squad (captain, pace leaders, batting core) appears balanced — names like Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi (when fit), Abrar Ahmed and experienced batters feature in the list (see Cricbuzz squad pages for full list). (Cricbuzz)

Outlook: Pakistan’s seam attack will be crucial in UAE evenings; selection might focus on death-bowling options and depth in batting against spin.

Sri Lanka — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Sri Lanka are six-time Asia Cup champions across formats (their record in the tournament is impressive historically). They have a strong T20 record when their spin and batting click together. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights: Sri Lanka named Charith Asalanka as captain for this edition and included Wanindu Hasaranga in the 16-member squad despite fitness questions — a major boost when available. The squad mixes experience and youth with a spin-heavy core. (Reuters, Cricbuzz)

Outlook: Sri Lanka’s spin options (Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage) make them well-suited for UAE conditions and a top contender if their batting gels.

Afghanistan — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Afghanistan’s rise over the past decade has been one of international cricket’s most compelling stories. From associate status to beating big teams, their wrist-spin and powerful top order have made them a real threat in T20s. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights: Afghanistan announced a preliminary (and then final) squad featuring stars like Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran; selectors published a 22-man preliminary list before trimming to the final roster. (Cricbuzz)

Outlook: Expect Afghanistan to rely on Rashid’s control and the opening pyrotechnics of Gurbaz and Zadran. Their spin and fearless batting makes them unpredictable opponents.

Bangladesh — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Bangladesh have grown into a dangerous T20 side with excellent spin options and match-winners like Shakib Al Hasan. They’ve been strong performers in Asian tournaments, capable of upsets. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights: Bangladesh recalled Nurul Hasan and Saif (as per a recent BCB update), and their squad has been shaped around experience and spin strength. Check Cricbuzz and BCB releases for the final 16. (Cricbuzz)

Outlook: Bangladesh’s veteran spinners and power-hitting lower order could be decisive in UAE. Their success will depend on middle-order consistency.

Oman — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Oman are an emerging associate nation who qualified for the Asia Cup via the ACC Premier Cup. Their presence is part of the ACC’s widening competitive field. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights & outlook: Oman’s squad contains a mix of experienced regional performers and dynamic youngsters; their strategy will be to stay compact, target specific match-ups, and use home-region experience from Gulf conditions to stay competitive. (See Cricbuzz squads page for full names.) (Cricbuzz)

United Arab Emirates (UAE) — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: As co-host and qualifier, UAE brings local familiarity to the venues and conditions. UAE have been steadily improving their pool and infrastructure as a cricket hub. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights & outlook: The UAE squad features international domestic talent and a blend of expat heritage players; their advantage is home familiarity at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Expect spirited performances, especially in front of home fans. (See Cricbuzz match pages for playing XIs.) (Cricbuzz)

Hong Kong — history & Asia Cup outlook

History snapshot: Hong Kong qualified via ACC Premier Cup and return to the Asia Cup stage as underdogs. Historically they have produced talented players who perform at the associate level. (Wikipedia)

2025 squad highlights & outlook: A compact squad focusing on disciplined bowling and targeted batting; their tournament ambition will be to surprise and potentially upset a full-member side in the group. (See match squads on Cricbuzz.) (Cricbuzz)

Final notes, sources & where I pulled data from

This article compiles fixture & squad info published by tournament and sports news portals. Important pages to link and cite on your CrickTales post for authority and live updates:

• Cricbuzz Asia Cup 2025 fixtures & squads pages. (Cricbuzz)
• ICC announcement & squads roundup. (icc)
• Cricbuzz news on Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh squad updates. (Reuters, Cricbuzz)
• Venue info (Dubai stadium / Sheikh Zayed) — stadium pages and Wikipedia.

Call to action (for readers)

• Bookmark this page — I’ll update squads and match order as official changes happen (last update: check timestamp on page).
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