Pakistan-India clash to light up Asia Cup on Sept 14

ISLAMABAD: Cricket fans, mark your calendars! The much-anticipated ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 is officially set to light up the desert sands of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28, with the mother of all matches -- Pakistan vs India -- set to be staged on September 14, most probably at the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium.

Asian Cricket Council President and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi made the initial announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, then followed the schedule with venues to be announced later. Chances are that the matches will be staged in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Besides Pakistan and India, the other teams in Group A are UAE and Oman. Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

The group stage will be followed by the Super Four Stage, which will include the top two teams from each group.

With the arch-rivals placed in the same pool, fans are likely to witness up to three mega clashes between the two giants. The ACC president unveiled the Asia Cup window and promised a thrilling spectacle of cricket.

“I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. The prestigious tournament will take place from September 9th to 28th,” Naqvi posted. “We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket! A detailed schedule will be out soon.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sought time during the ACC meeting held in Bangladesh on Thursday to share the details of the meeting with key stakeholders, including commercial and logistic partners, before getting back to the ACC. “There are a few commercial and logistical matters the BCCI needs to settle with its sponsors. Once those are resolved, the official dates and venues for the Asia Cup will be communicated to the ACC,” stated a senior official at the end of the ACC meeting.

“All issues, it seems, have been sorted out to ensure the Asia Cup’s going ahead. Once the stakeholders were consulted the BCCI got back to ACC, enabling President ACC Mohsin Naqvi to announce the dates through X.”

Naqvi, after the ACC meeting, reiterated his optimism, saying, “It’s largely a matter between the BCCI and ACC, and I am confident all hurdles will be overcome. The event will proceed as planned.” The announcement quashes earlier speculations about India potentially pulling out of the event due to political tensions. The BCCI had denied such rumours earlier this year, and despite a recent promotional poster spotlighting only India and Sri Lanka, the PCB reaffirmed that Pakistan would participate as planned.