Bangladesh kick-start their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong: Preview
What's the story
The third match of the Asia Cup 2025 will see Bangladesh take on Hong Kong at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 11. Bangladesh come into this match on the back of three consecutive T20I series wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Netherlands. On the other hand, Hong Kong lost their opening game against Afghanistan by a massive margin of 94 runs. Here is the match preview.
Match details
Pitch report and streaming details
The pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium is known for its slow surface, which could favor spinners and make batting conditions tough in the second innings due to uneven bounce. The same was witnessed in the Asia Cup opener, where HK lost to Afghanistan by 94 runs. Meanwhile, Indian fans can catch the game, which will go underway at 8:00pm IST, live on Sony Sports Networks. The game will also be streamed live on the Sony LIV app and website.
BAN vs UAE
Can HK upset the Tigers?
Hong Kong were entirely outplayed by Afghanistan in their opener. The Afghan side posted a total of 188/6 while batting first. HK faltered in their chase, managing only 94 runs for the loss of nine wickets and losing by a margin of 94 runs. As Bangladesh are far stronger on paper and also have momentum on their side, HK must play out of their skin to cause an upset.
Information
Have the two teams met in T20Is before?
It must be noted that Bangladesh and HK have met just once in T20Is before. The meeting took place in Chattogram during the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup. In that thrilling match, Hong Kong pulled off an upset by chasing down the 109-run target with two balls and as many wickets to spare.
Line-ups
A look at the probable XIs
Bangladesh's probable XI: Liton Das (c & wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mustafizur Rahman. Hong Kong's probable XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, KD Shah, Yasim Murtaza (c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan, and Martin Coetzee.
Stats
Here are the key performers
HK's Babar Hayat is one of the two centurions in T20 Asia Cup history, the other being Indian legend Virat Kohli. With 128 scalps at 16.54, Ehsan Khan is HK's highest wicket-taker in T20Is. Earlier this year, Parvez Hossain Emon became Bangladesh's second centurion in the T20I format. Taskin Ahmed has claimed 12 wickets from just five T20Is this year at an average of 12.75.
Poll
