Asia Cup 2025: Start date, country, and format – All you need to know
NEW DELHI: There’s a growing buzz around the Asia Cup 2025, with fans flooding social media with questions: When is the Asia Cup? What’s the schedule? When will the fixtures be released? Where will the tournament be held? As anticipation builds, the excitement around the 17th edition of the continental tournament is reaching fever pitch.The Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to be held in September, and like the last edition, it will be played in the T20 format. The tournament will feature a total of eight teams. The five full members of the Asian Cricket Council — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — have earned automatic qualification. They will be joined by Hong Kong, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, who secured their spots by finishing in the top three of the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup.Defending champions India will return to protect their crown, having thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final to clinch their eighth Asia Cup title, the most by any team in the tournament’s history.
What happened in the last Asia Cup?The 2023 Asia Cup was surrounded by political tensions, with India refusing to travel to Pakistan. As a result, India played their matches in Sri Lanka under a hybrid hosting model.In a six-nation tournament that included Nepal, India dominated the Super Fours, handing arch-rivals Pakistan a crushing 228-run defeat, effectively knocking them out of the competition.The final, held in Colombo, was one-sided as Mohammed Siraj’s fiery spell saw him claim six wickets, bundling Sri Lanka out for just 50 runs. India chased down the target in no time to lift the trophy in style.Post-Asia Cup, India also declined to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, playing all their matches in Dubai. In the group stage, they beat co-hosts Pakistan who failed to progress further. India went on to defeat New Zealand in the final to claim the Champions Trophy title.
