India Loses Hosting Rights of Asia Cup 2025
India will not host Asia Cup 2025, instead tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue.
India and Pakistan fans could witness three more high-voltage clashes between the two arch-rivals in 2025. The Asia Cup will be played in a T20 format this time, as teams prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
India Won’t Host Asia Cup 2025
Initially, India was set to host the Asia Cup 2025. However, as per a Cricbuzz report, the tournament will now take place in a neutral country. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided that whenever India or Pakistan are the designated hosts, the event will be moved to a third country.
The ACC has not yet finalized the venue. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bangladesh are being considered as possible hosts. Despite this, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will retain the hosting rights. A similar decision was made in 2018 when India was the official host, but the matches were played in the UAE.
Tournament Format & Schedule
The Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place from the second to the fourth week of September. The tournament will feature eight teams:
- India
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh
- Afghanistan
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Oman
- Hong Kong
Nepal, who participated in the 2023 Asia Cup, failed to qualify this time after finishing fourth in the qualifiers.
The tournament will follow a two-stage format:
- Group Stage – The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance.
- Super Four – The remaining four teams will play against each other once. The top two teams will then qualify for the final.
India vs Pakistan Matches
India and Pakistan will be placed in the same group. If both teams progress to the Super Four and later qualify for the final, they will face each other three times in the tournament. Interestingly, in the 16 editions of the Asia Cup so far, India and Pakistan have never faced each other in a final.
The 2023 Asia Cup saw controversy when India refused to travel to Pakistan, leading to a hybrid model where Sri Lanka co-hosted the tournament. This time, the Asia Cup will again be played at a neutral venue, ensuring India-Pakistan clashes happen on common ground.
