Finally, the time has come where the official announcement of the Asia Cup Schedule 2025 has been announced. There were a lot of talks about the happening of the Asia Cup 2025. After the cross-border tensions between India-Pakistan and Bangladesh, the venue for the Asia Cup 2025 has changed. India holds the hosting rights of the Asia Cup 2025, but was reluctant to host and participate, citing the Indian government’s non-approval after the Pahalgam attack. But now, the Asia Cup schedule 2025 is out, and even India vs Pakistan is set to happen on September 14, 2025.

Today, we will see the full Asia Cup schedule 2025, the possibility of IND-PAK happening multiple times, and whether it is a good decision to play with Pakistan. We will also touch upon the points on how the Indian government has allowed the BCCI to go ahead with the Asia Cup, where Pakistan will also participate. What are the political tensions between the two countries, and many more things in this piece? So let’s begin.

Asia Cup Schedule 2025 Announced

The Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi has announced the dates of the Asia Cup 2025 on Saturday, July 26, 2025. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) will host the tournament across two venues: Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Asia Cup 2025 will commence from September 09 and the final will happen on September 28, 2025.

Group Stage

The group stage will start on September 09 with Afghanistan and Hong Kong taking on each other. India and Oman will play the last group stage match on September 19, 2025.

Super 4s

The Super 4 stage will commence on September 20, 2025. A total of six games will be played in the Super 4 from September 20 to 26, 2025.

Final

The all-important Asia Cup 2025 final will take place on September 28, 2025. As of now, the venues for the individual matches in the tournament have not been announced. We will keep updating you here as soon as the information comes.

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Eight Teams Will Participate, India vs Pakistan Match is On

A high-stakes India vs Pakistan match will take place on September 14, 2025. Despite a lot of criticism on social media, the two countries are set to take on each other in the Asia Cup 2025. After what happened in Pahalgam a few months back, the Indian public sentiment got hurt, and they don’t want Team India to play against Pakistan. We have also seen the World Championship of Legends (WCL) game between the India Champions and Pakistan Champions got cancelled after a few of the Indian players were a bit hesitant to play a match against Pakistan.

Before the IND-PAK WCL 2025 game, there was a lot of backlash on social media regarding the match happening between the two teams. Eventually, the organisers cancelled the match.

A total of eight teams will participate in the Asia Cup 2025. As expected, India and Pakistan are drawn in the same group (Group A), alongside Oman and the UAE. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong are placed in Group B.

Asia Cup in T20 Format

The Asia Cup 2025 is set to take place in T20 format. Considering a decline in viewership in the ODI format and the T20 World Cup next year, the Asia Cup will be held in the shortest format of the game. A total of 19 matches (including the final) will happen as per the Asia Cup schedule 2025.

Two teams from each group will advance to the Super 4 stage. All four teams will play each other once, in a Super 4 stage. Then, the top two teams from Super 4 will play the Asia Cup 2025 final on September 28, 2025.

India and Pakistan to Play Three Times?

There is a strong possibility that we might see India vs Pakistan three times in the Asia Cup 2025. They will play their first game on September 14, 2025, in the Group Stage. Then, they might also play in the Super 4 stage on September 22, 2025 (likely date) as the other two teams in Group A (Oman and UAE) find it difficult to reach the Super 4.

Although no final has happened between India and Pakistan till now in the Asia Cup history, there is a strong possibility that it might happen this year.

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Is Is Fair to Play with Pakistan (from India’s Point of View)?

As we saw what happened in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam a few months ago, every Indian got hurt and doesn’t want Team India to play against Pakistan. No one wants to have any kind of a relationship with Pakistan. The Indian government has even stopped water flow under the Indus Water Treaty. They even banned Pakistani YouTubers/Creators’ channels in India. A lot of other actions were taken after the incident that happened in Pahalgam.

Since 2007, India has not travelled to Pakistan for any cricketing action. The two teams have also not played any bilateral series since 2012. They can only be seen playing against each other in multi-nation tournaments like ICC (International Cricket Council) tournaments and Asia Cups. The Indian government’s stand is still regarding not playing with Pakistan due to cross-border terrorism.

After the Pahalgam incident, the public in India criticises the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the Indian government for playing with Pakistan.

Why was the WCL 2025 match cancelled, but not the Asia Cup?

There are a lot of reactions coming in on social media. The Indian media and the general public on social media have been criticising the BCCI and the Indian government for allowing the players to play with Pakistan. We saw earlier that India vs Pakistan WCL 2025 match got cancelled after a heavy backlash on social media. However, India and Pakistan are now set to face off against each other as per the Asia Cup schedule for 2025.

It shows the hypocrisy of how money matters in cricket. Although the money was involved in the India vs Pakistan game in WCL 2025, it was not as much as in India vs Pakistan international match. And now the Asia Cup is set to happen with both countries’ teams playing against each other.

Why Indian government allow India to play against Pakistan?

The genuine question is how the Indian government has allowed the BCCI to play with Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Is it because so much money is involved? The broadcaster might be happy to see the IND-PAK game happening, and as many as at least two teams (likely). But then there will be no backlash for the players from the public. The fans can not say why Indian players are playing with Pakistani players. Because as per the media reports, we have heard that a few people even reached one player’s home before the India Champions vs Pakistan Champions game in WCL 2025 on the ground of criticism.

Whatever, the Asia Cup 2025 is on, and so is the India vs Pakistan game. Everyone knows that if India pulls out of the tournament or does not play against Pakistan, the revenue will not be that much. Most of the revenue in cricket comes from the Indian market and the Indian audience. The government should have looked into it closely and should have looked after the sentiments of the Indians. Let’s see how things unfold.

What do you think? Is it a good move from India to play against Pakistan? Comment your opinion below. Thank you for reading. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates.

Check all the important details regarding the Asia Cup 2025 on the Official Asian Cricket Council’s Website HERE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):-

• (Q1) When will the Asia Cup 2025 start?
• A. The Asia Cup 2025 will start on September 09, 2025.

• (Q2) Who will be the host of the 2025 Asia Cup?
• A. India has the hosting rights. But the tournament will take place in the UAE.

• (Q3) What is the head-to-head between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup history?
• A. As of now (July 27, 2025), India and Pakistan have played 19 matches in the Asia Cup. India has won 10 games, while Pakistan has managed to win 6. Three games ended in no result.

• (Q4) Who won the Asia Cup 2023?
• A. India won the Asia Cup 2023, defeating Sri Lanka in the final by 10 wickets.

• (Q5) Which team has won the Asia Cup title the most?
• A. India has the most Asia Cup titles as of July 2025. They have eight Asia Cup titles till now.