To combat the intense September heat in the UAE and enhance viewer experience across South Asia, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has revised the match timings for the DP World Asia Cup 2025. Now rescheduled for cooler evening hours, the tournament will run from September 9 to 28 across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, featuring eight teams and 19 matches — all but one of which will now begin at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST).
Revised timings to beat the heat
In response to extreme weather conditions in the Gulf region, 18 of the 19 matches in the Asia Cup 2025 will now start at 6:30 PM Gulf Standard Time (GST), equivalent to 8:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). This change from the originally scheduled 6:00 PM GST (7:30 PM IST) starts is aimed at reducing players’ exposure to heat while also aligning the matches with prime-time viewership slots across key cricket markets like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
The decision, taken jointly by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), also ensures a more comfortable in-stadium experience for fans during cooler evening hours.
The only exception to this revised schedule is the match between UAE and Oman, set for Monday, September 15, which will start at 4:00 PM GST (5:30 PM IST) at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This fixture will be the only day game of the tournament.
Tournament format and team groupings
Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the T20 format and includes eight participating nations, split into two groups:
- Group A: India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman
- Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong
Each team will face the others in their group once during the group stage. The top two teams from each group will move forward to the Super 4 round, where each team will again play against the remaining three. Based on the Super 4 standings, the top two teams will progress to the final, scheduled for Sunday, September 28 in Dubai.
A reserve day for the final has been set for Monday, September 29, to accommodate any weather-related disruptions.
India Pakistan clash, key fixtures, and venues
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi will serve as the two venues for the tournament. Dubai will host the high-stakes match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 14 — one of the most anticipated fixtures of the group stage.
India, placed in Group A, will open their campaign against hosts UAE on Wednesday, September 10, in Dubai, and will conclude the group stage with a match against Oman on Friday, September 19, in Abu Dhabi.
Despite India and Pakistan not engaging in bilateral series, they continue to face off in multi-nation tournaments, as permitted by both governments and sporting bodies.
Full revised match schedule (IST)
Group Stage:- Tuesday, 9 Sep – Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, 10 Sep – India vs UAE, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, 11 Sep – Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Friday, 12 Sep – Pakistan vs Oman, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Saturday, 13 Sep – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Sunday, 14 Sep – India vs Pakistan, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Monday, 15 Sep – UAE vs Oman, Abu Dhabi – 5:30 PM (only day match)
- Monday, 15 Sep – Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Tuesday, 16 Sep – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, 17 Sep – Pakistan vs UAE, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, 18 Sep – Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Friday, 19 Sep – India vs Oman, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
Super 4 Stage:- Saturday, 20 Sep – B1 vs B2, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Sunday, 21 Sep – A1 vs A2, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Monday, 22 Sep – Rest Day
- Tuesday, 23 Sep – A2 vs B1, Abu Dhabi – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, 24 Sep – A1 vs B2, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, 25 Sep – A2 vs B2, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Friday, 26 Sep – A1 vs B1, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Saturday, 27 Sep – Rest Day
Final & Contingency:- Sunday, 28 Sep – Final, Dubai – 8:00 PM
- Monday, 29 Sep – Reserve Day
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