Asia Cup 2025 final: All-round India take on resurgent Pakistan
What's the story
India and Pakistan are set to clash in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 28. This is their first-ever meeting in a continental tournament final, adding an extra layer of excitement to the marquee event. India have been dominant throughout the competition, winning all their matches so far. This includes a couple of wins over Pakistan as well. Here we present the match preview.
Mixed campaign
Pakistan eye redemption against India
Pakistan, on the other hand, are looking for their maiden T20 Asia Cup title. Their journey has been a mixed bag with defeats only against India. However, they have managed to win through collective efforts rather than individual brilliance. The Men in Green are determined to turn the tables this time and secure a memorable victory over their arch-rivals India.
Match details
Pitch report and streaming details
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has generally favored batsmen who can build their innings. Early on, the new ball offers some swing, demanding focus from the top order before they can accelerate and post big scores. Spinners have been dominant at the venue in the ongoing tourney. The match, which will get underway at 8:00pm IST, will be telecast live on Sony Sports Networks in India, with live streaming available on FanCode and Sony LIV apps/websites.
Rivalry stats
Here's the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two sides have faced each other 15 times. India have won 11 matches with Pakistan claiming three wins (Tied: 1). In the T20 Asia Cup history, India and Pakistan have clashed five times with India winning four compared to Pakistan's one. In Dubai, they have met four times in the T20 Asia Cup with India prevailing thrice.
Team line-ups
Predicted playing XIs for both teams
India probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy. Pakistan probable XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Key players
Here are the key players
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been in sublime form, scoring 309 runs in six innings at a staggering strike rate of 204.63. With 13 wickets at an impressive average of 9.84, Kuldeep Yadav is the leading wicket-taker of the tourney. Albeit in a losing cause, Sahibzada Farhan scored a fine 45-ball 58 in the Super Four encounter against India. Abrar Ahmed has bowled with an economy of 5.03 in the ongoing tourney, having managed five wickets.
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