India will defend the Asia Cup next month in the United Arab Emirates. The eight-team tournament kicks off on September 9 with Afghanistan facing Hong Kong at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
India’s campaign begins the next day, when they face hosts UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The men in blue are scheduled to arrive in the UAE on September 4. However, according to the latest sources, the complete team will not travel to the West Asian country.
According to a report by NDTV Sports, the squad members will be reaching the UAE in batches. Usually, the team assembles in Mumbai before leaving together for a tournament. However, the squad members will be allowed to travel from their respective cities for logistical convenience. India are scheduled to have their first training session in the UAE on September 5.
“All the players will arrive in Dubai by the evening of September 4, and the first nets session will be held on September 5 at the ICC Academy. Factoring in logistical convenience, the players will be allowed to fly into Dubai from their respective cities,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.
The 2025 edition of the Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format. The Indian team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, while Shubman Gill has been named as his deputy.
“Obviously, a few will travel from Mumbai, but asking some of the others to first come to Mumbai and then fly to Dubai doesn’t make sense. In any case, Dubai is a short-duration flight compared to other international flights,” the official added.
India’s last white-ball assignment was the 2025 Champions Trophy, which they won under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. Incidentally, that tournament was also held in the UAE. India are the most successful team in Asia Cup history, having won the continental competition eight times.
India
