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Fans will get to watch more of India versus Pakistan matches after the end of Champions Trophy 2025 later this year as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has come with a window for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The Asia Cup 2025's window has been tentatively scheduled for September which potentially be played in the UAE, as per Cricbuzz.
Asia Cup 2025's window finalised as more India vs Pakistan clash on card
Recently fans got the witness the high-octane clash between India and Pakistan when the two arch-rivals locked horns with each other in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, which Rohit Sharma's brigade ended up winning.
Coming back to Asia Cup, the upcoming edition of the continental tournament, formatted as a T20 competition, is expected to feature 19 matches across two weeks. Earlier it was scheduled to be staged in India, but Asia Cup 2025's location has been shifted to a neutral venue due to the prevailing political dynamics between India and Pakistan. While the final venue is yet to be confirmed, ACC officials are considering Sri Lanka and the UAE as viable options, with the BCCI retaining its status as the designated host.
A policy shift by the ACC mandates that tournaments hosted by either the BCCI or the PCB will be held in neutral countries, a decision designed to prevent controversies arising from travel refusals between the two nations, a scenario recently observed during the Champions Trophy. This neutral venue approach is aimed at ensuring smooth tournament execution. Notably, the Indian team's participation in Dubai through a hybrid model has prompted the PCB to request a similar arrangement for the upcoming T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by the BCCI and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). This emphasis on neutral venues highlights the ongoing efforts to navigate the complex geopolitical landscape within cricket.
While the September weather presents a potential challenge for cricket, the Asia Cup's T20 format allows for matches to be scheduled during cooler evening hours, mitigating some of the heat-related concerns. Eight teams, including cricketing powerhouses India and Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, will participate in the championship. Notably, Nepal, a rising associate nation that featured in the 2023 edition, has failed to qualify for this tournament.
The tournament will follow a similar format to the previous edition, with the eight teams divided into two groups, predictably placing India and Pakistan in the same group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage, with the top two from that stage competing in the final. This structure guarantees at least two India-Pakistan clashes—one in the group stage and another in the Super Four—with the possibility of a third encounter in the final.
The current cycle, concluding in 2031, will feature four Asia Cup tournaments. Following the 2025 edition, with its 19 matches, Bangladesh will host the 2027 edition in the ODI format, featuring 13 games. The 2029 edition, a T20 tournament with 19 games, will be hosted by the PCB but played in a neutral country. Finally, the 2031 edition, an ODI tournament with 13 games, will be held in Sri Lanka.
Talking about the India and Pakistan's campaign in the ongoing Champions Trophy, Mohammad Rizwan's brigade have suffered an early elimination from the eight-team tournament. Meanwhile India have qualified for the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal after notching back-to-back wins in their top two teams.
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