The India vs Pakistan cricket match irrespective of the format stands as one of the biggest sporting rivalries across globe. The two nations met on Sunday in Dubai at the ICC Champions Trophy, with India securing a handsome six-wicket win against the arch rivals. The outcome came as a major blow for Pakistan as it eventually led to their elimination, thus ruling out any possibility of the two meeting again at the marquee tournament, unlike the previous edition played in 2017.
However, fans will not have wait for another year to see the two cricketing giants go at each other again. As reported by Cricbuzz, the two can potentially meet three times later in the year as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has tentatively kept September as the window for the Asia Cup 2025. As mentioned in the report, the continental showdown is likely to take place in the UAE and will feature 19 matches played in the T20 format. The tournament will run from the second week till the fourth week of September.
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The key decision of the ACC was to hold the tournament in a neutral venue with India being the designated hosts. The decision was taken keeping the tainted relations between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in mind. The two boards have been at loggerheads when it comes to visiting the other country for cricketing engagements as witnessed in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, where the Men In Blue have already reached the semifinals.
India are playing all their matches in Dubai despite Pakistan being the designated hosts. The decision came after BCCI refused to send its team to the neighbouring country citing security concern, which forced PCB to shift all the India matches to Dubai. This in turn has led to the PCB asking for a similar arrangement in next year's T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Eight teams - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, besides India and Pakistan - will take part in the continental showdown. Just like the previous edition, teams will be divided in groups, with India and Pakistan most likely be clubbed in the same. The top two teams from each group will then move to the Super 4s, which can mark the second meeting between the arch rivals in the tournament. If things go as per plans then we might witness an epic Asia Cup finale featuring India and Pakistan.
There will be four Asia Cup tournaments until 2031, with the 2025 edition featuring 19 matches. The next edition (2027), which will be hosted by Bangladesh, will feature 13 ODIs. The 2029 edition with PCB as hosts but being conducted at a neutral country will once again return to the shorter format and feature 19 matches. The 2031 edition will be played in the ODI format (13 games) in Sri Lanka.
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