Asia Cup 2025: Predicted Playing XI for India, Pakistan and All Participating Teams
The wait is almost over! Cricket's biggest continental tournament is coming back in just over a week. The Asia Cup 2025 will start on September 9 in the UAE and all cricket fans are excited to see their favorite teams battle it out in the T20 format. This time, eight teams will compete for the trophy including defending champions India, arch-rivals Pakistan and other strong teams from Asia.
The 2025 Asia Cup will be played in T20 format in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9-28. Eight teams are split into two groups of four each. The matches start with the group stage, then move to the Super Four, and finish with the final. The most exciting match will be India vs Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai, which always brings millions of viewers to their screens. All matches will be played in the evening at 7:30 PM local time to beat the UAE heat.
Group A Teams and Predicted Playing XIs
India - Defending Champions Looking Strong
Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
Vice-Captain: Shubman Gill
India comes into the tournament as defending champions and world's number one T20 team. The big news is that Jasprit Bumrah has confirmed he will play despite earlier injury worries. This is huge for India because Bumrah is their best bowler.
India's Most Likely Playing XI:
Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain) - The young opener has been in great form and will likely open the batting
Abhishek Sharma - Left-handed opener who can hit big shots from the start
Suryakumar Yadav (c) - The T20 specialist will bat at his favorite number 3 position
Tilak Varma - Young left-hander who has proven himself in international cricket
Sanju Samson (wk) - In red-hot form with three T20I hundreds last year, he's the first-choice keeper
Hardik Pandya - The key all-rounder who provides balance with both bat and ball
Rinku Singh - The finisher who has been smashing runs in domestic cricket recently
Axar Patel - Left-arm spinner and handy lower-order batsman
Jasprit Bumrah - India's pace spearhead, confirmed available for the tournament
Arshdeep Singh - Left-arm pacer who has been leading India's bowling in T20s
Varun Chakaravarthy - Mystery spinner who can trouble batsmen on UAE pitches
Pakistan - New Captain, New Hope
Captain: Salman Ali Agha
Notable absences: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan has made bold changes by dropping former captain Babar Azam and star keeper Mohammad Rizwan. New captain Salman Ali Agha will lead a young team that recently beat the West Indies 2-1.
Pakistan's Most Likely Playing XI:
Saim Ayub - Young left-handed opener with big-hitting ability
Sahibzada Farhan - Right-handed opener who can play anchor role
Fakhar Zaman - Experienced left-hander returning from injury
Salman Ali Agha (c) - The new captain who bats in the middle order
Mohammad Haris (wk) - Wicket-keeper batsman with explosive batting style
Khushdil Shah - Left-handed middle-order batsman and part-time spinner
Faheem Ashraf - All-rounder who can bat and bowl medium pace
Shaheen Shah Afridi - Left-arm fast bowler and former captain
Haris Rauf - Express fast bowler who can bowl 150+ kmph
Mohammad Nawaz - Left-arm spinner and useful lower-order batsman
Abrar Ahmed - Mystery leg-spinner who troubled many batsmen
Key players to watch: Saim Ayub (young talent), Shaheen Afridi (pace leader), Salman Ali Agha (new leadership)
UAE - Tournament Hosts
Captain: Muhammad Waseem
UAE will play their first Asia Cup match against India on September 10. As hosts, they'll have crowd support but face tough competition in Group A.
UAE's Most Likely Playing XI:
Muhammad Waseem (c) - Captain and opening batsman
Aryansh Sharma - Young opening partner
Haider Ali - Middle-order batsman
Asif Khan - Experienced middle-order player
Rahul Chopra - Batsman who can keep wicket
Alishan Sharafu - All-rounder with batting skills
Dhruv Parashar - Wicket-keeper batsman
Ethan D'Souza - All-rounder
Junaid Siddique - Experienced fast bowler with 96 T20I wickets
Muhammad Jawadullah - Fast bowler
Saghir Khan - Spinner
Oman - First-Time Participants
Captain: Jatinder Singh
Oman is making their Asia Cup debut and will be led by 36-year-old Jatinder Singh, who was born in Punjab, India. They have four players set to make their international debut.
Oman's Most Likely Playing XI:
Jatinder Singh (c) - Experienced captain and opener
Hammad Mirza - Opening partner
Aamir Kaleem - Top-order batsman
Vinayak Shukla (wk) - Wicket-keeper batsman
Mohammed Nadeem - Middle-order batsman
Sufyan Mehmood - All-rounder
Ashish Odedara - Middle-order player
Aryan Bisht - All-rounder
Shakeel Ahmad - Bowler
Hassnain Ali Shah - Fast bowler
Samay Shrivastava - Spinner
Group B Teams and Predicted Playing XIs
Bangladesh - Recent Winners
Captain: Litton Das
Notable absence: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (in reserves)
Bangladesh is riding high after beating Sri Lanka away and Pakistan at home in recent T20 series. Captain Litton Das has been in great form, recently scoring 54 not out against Netherlands.
Bangladesh's Most Likely Playing XI:
Tanzid Hasan - Left-handed opener
Parvez Hossain Emon - Opening partner
Litton Das (c & wk) - Captain-keeper who has been in excellent form
Towhid Hridoy - Middle-order anchor
Jaker Ali - Middle-order batsman
Saif Hassan - Returning player who can also bowl spin
Shamim Hossain - All-rounder
Mahedi Hasan - Spin-bowling all-rounder
Taskin Ahmed - Fast bowler who took 4-28 vs Netherlands
Mustafizur Rahman - Left-arm pace bowler
Rishad Hossain - Leg-spinner
Sri Lanka - Former Champions
Captain: Charith Asalanka
Key players return: Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana
Sri Lanka has a strong team with the return of star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. Captain Charith Asalanka will lead the six-time Asia Cup winners.
Sri Lanka's Most Likely Playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka - Reliable opener
Kusal Perera - Left-handed opening option
Kusal Mendis (wk) - Wicket-keeper batsman
Charith Asalanka (c) - Captain and middle-order batsman
Kamindu Mendis - All-rounder who can bowl spin
Dasun Shanaka - Experienced all-rounder
Wanindu Hasaranga - Star spinner and lower-order hitter
Maheesh Theekshana - Mystery spinner
Matheesha Pathirana - Express fast bowler
Dushmantha Chameera - Fast bowler making comeback
Nuwan Thushara - Left-arm fast bowler
Afghanistan - Semifinal Dreams
Captain: Rashid Khan
Tournament strength: Strong spin attack
Afghanistan reached the T20 World Cup semifinals last year and have a spin-heavy attack perfect for UAE conditions. Captain Rashid Khan leads a team with five quality spinners.
Afghanistan's Most Likely Playing XI:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) - Attacking opener and wicket-keeper
Ibrahim Zadran - Right-handed opening partner
Darwish Rasooli - Top-order batsman
Azmatullah Omarzai - All-rounder
Mohammad Nabi - Experienced all-rounder
Gulbadin Naib - All-rounder
Rashid Khan (c) - World's best T20 spinner
Noor Ahmad - Left-arm wrist spinner
Mujeeb Ur Rahman - Mystery spinner
Naveen-ul-Haq - Experienced fast bowler
Fazalhaq Farooqi - Left-arm fast bowler
Hong Kong - Dark Horses
Captain: Yasim Murtaza
Hong Kong qualified through the ACC Premier Cup and will be looking to upset bigger teams. They have experienced players like Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan.
Hong Kong's Most Likely Playing XI:
Yasim Murtaza (c) - Captain and opener
Babar Hayat - Experienced batsman
Anshuman Rath - Top-order player
Nizakat Khan - Middle-order anchor
Zeeshan Ali (wk) - Wicket-keeper batsman
Kinchit Shah - All-rounder
Ehsan Khan - Spin-bowling all-rounder
Aizaz Khan - Medium-pace bowler
Anas Khan - Spinner
Haroon Arshad - Fast bowler
Mohammad Ghazanfar - Bowler
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