Cricket fans are in for a treat as Pakistan and India are set to renew their fierce rivalry at the upcoming Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship 2025 in Doha.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the details for the rebranded tournament, which will be played in the T20 format from November 14 to 23.
The event, formerly known as the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, will bring together eight teams aiming to showcase the next generation of Asian cricket stars. Five Test-playing nations — Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — will compete with their A teams while UAE, Oman and Hong Kong will send their full national squads.
Group A features Pakistan A, India A, UAE and Oman while Group B includes Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong.
In a key format change from the senior Asia Cup, there will be no Super Four stage. The top two teams from each group will move straight to the semi-finals, making every group match a high-stakes contest.
All eyes will be on the much-anticipated Pakistan vs India encounter in the group stage. The arch-rivals will meet at least once with a potential rematch in the final if both teams go the distance.
Pakistan’s fixtures in the Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship are as follows:
Nov 14: Pakistan A vs Oman
Nov 16: Pakistan A vs India A
Nov 18: Pakistan A vs UAE
Afghanistan A will enter the 15-match competition as defending champions, having lifted the trophy in the previous edition of the Emerging Asia Cup.