Reigning Asia Cup champions India eye record-extending ninth title
Titans’ skipper Shubman Gill returns to India’s T20I team as the vice-captain for the upcoming edition.
04 September, 2025
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Defending champions India will aim to retain their Asia Cup crown in the upcoming continental T20I tournament, starting on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, the star-studded Indian cricket team will look to continue their dominance in the biennial tournament as they eye a record-extending ninth title.
Since the inception of the Asia Cup cricket tournament in 1984, India have been the most successful team in the competition’s history with eight titles (seven ODI and one T20I).
The Indian men’s cricket team will head into the 17th edition of the Asia Cup as the reigning champions after they defeated hosts Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the 2023 final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Meanwhile, India have been placed in Group A of the Asia Cup 2025, alongside hosts UAE, Pakistan and Oman. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka are clubbed in Group B.
India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10.
The Men in Blue will then lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the highly anticipated Group A clash in Dubai on September 14. They will later face Oman in their final group match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19.
As per the Asia Cup 2025 format, the top two teams from each group will qualify for a single-group Super Four stage. Following the conclusion of the Super Four stage, the top two teams will square off in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on September 28.
All eyes will once again be on Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, who emerged as the leading run-scorer in the 2023 edition. Gill amassed 302 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 75.50, including one century and two fifties.
Apart from Gill, skipper Suryakumar, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube are part of India’s much-vaunted batting line-up.
Premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah spearheads India’s bowling department. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are the other bowling options for the defending champions.
