Asia Cup changes match timings due to heat in UAE

Timings of 18 of the 19 Asia Cup 2025 matches have been changed due to the heat in the UAE. Apart from the UAE and Oman game on September 15, all matches have been pushed back by half an hour from the original schedule.

The matches that were set to begin at 7 PM local time will now start at 6:30 PM Gulf Standard Time. This includes all the matches, including the final on September 28. All the day-night fixtures will now begin at 8 PM IST. The UAE and Oman fixture in Abu Dhabi is the only day match in the tournament.

Asia Cup -  a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup

The Asia Cup 2025 is a dress rehearsal for some key Asian teams for the T20 World Cup 2026. Five of the eight teams from the regional tournament will be playing in the 20-over World Cup 2026, so this tournament becomes crucial for the likes of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

India in Group A, face Pakistan on September 14

India are placed in Group A of the tournament alongside Pakistan, UAE and



Oman. They will open their campaign against the UAE on September 10, before their clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14. India's last group game will be against Oman on September 19. 

Two teams from each group will qualify for the subsequent Super Four, with each side playing the other once in a round-robin stage. There is another possible India vs Pakistan clash on September 21 if both make it to the Super Four, and then another on the cards if both qualify for the final.

India had announced their squad for the tournament earlier this month, with Suryakumar Yadav set to lead the Men in Blue. Test skipper Shubman Gill is his deputy, with the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal missing out on the 15-member squad.

India’s squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh