Asia Cup 2025: Match timings changed to counter UAE heat

As many as 18 out of the 19 Asia Cup 2025 matches have been pushed back by half an hour to counter the heat in the UAE. The clash between hosts United Arab Emirates and Oman on September 15 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi is the only one which will start at the original time. 

The cricket boards had requested for the matches to be moved back by a little to help the players avoid playing under the scorching sun. The proposal was put forward to the broadcasters, who eventually agreed. This means that all the day-night fixtures will commence at 8 PM (IST). 

For the unversed, temperatures during the day are expected to touch the 40°C mark and stay that away up until late in the evening. 

The eight-team tournament will begin on September 9, with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the upcoming edition is only the third time that the Asia Cup will be played in a 20-over format. The previous such instances came back in 2016 (Bangladesh) and 2022 (UAE).

Coming to the highly-anticipated 2025 edition, the eight teams have been divided into two groups. India, Pakistan, Oman and UAE are placed in Group A while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong are in Group B.

Almost all the participating teams barring India will be coming in the Asia Cup following a large T20I diet. India were involved in a five-match Test series against England under the new Test skipper Shubman Gill. Gill, who emerged as the Player of the Series after an outstanding run with the bat (754 runs in 10 innings), has displaced Axar Patel as the T20I vice-captain and is set to feature in the upcoming tournament.

As for the other teams, UAE, Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently involved in a triangular series as a preparation for the subcontinental tournament while Sri Lanka are currently in Zimbabwe to play two ODIs and three T20Is.