Indian cricket fans won’t have to wait much longer — the Men in Blue are set to return to international action next week as the 2025 Asia Cup kicks off in the UAE. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian T20I squad will begin their title defence in Group A, alongside Pakistan, Oman, and hosts UAE.

India’s campaign begins on September 10 against the UAE, but all eyes are on the high-stakes India vs Pakistan clash scheduled for September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. This will mark the first meeting between the two sides since the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, which significantly strained diplomatic ties between the nations.

While some groups had urged India to pull out of the match against Pakistan, the Sports Ministry clarified that although bilateral cricket between the two countries remains suspended, multilateral tournament fixtures will go ahead as planned.

Ticket bookings open

The Asian Cricket Council has officially opened ticket sales, with fans able to choose from three packages:

Package 1: Access to all Group A matches (India, Pakistan, UAE, Oman) — starts at AED 475 (approx. ₹11,000).

Package 2: Includes all Super Four matches — starts at AED 525 (approx. ₹12,500).

Package 3: A combo pack featuring two Super Four fixtures (A2 vs B2 on Sept 25 and A1 vs B1 on Sept 26), plus the Asia Cup Final on Sept 28 — also starting at AED 525 (₹12,500).

Tournament Format

This will be the 17th edition of the Asia Cup, featuring eight teams. Group B comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will move to the Super Four stage, where they will play round-robin matches to determine the finalists. The final will take place on September 28 in Dubai.