Asia Cup 2025: Match timing UAE pushed back due to heat, announced a complete revised schedule

Asia Cup 2025: Match timing pushed back due to UAE heat, announced a complete revised schedule

The Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates is running from 2025, 9-28 September, the revised evening/representative image will feature 19 T20 matches.

To compete with the heat of intense September in the United Arab Emirates and to increase viewing experience in South Asia, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has revised the match for the DP World Asia Cup 2025. The cooler will now be renovated for the evening hours, the tournament will run from 9 to 28 September in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which will feature eight teams and 19 matches – but one of all will now start from local time (IST).

Revised time to defeat heat

In response to the extreme weather conditions in the Gulf region, 18 out of 19 matches in the Asia Cup 2025 will now start from Gulf Standard Time (GST) at 6:30 pm, which is equivalent to the Indian Standards Time (IST) at 8:00 pm. Originally, this change from GST (IST) at 6:00 pm is aimed at reducing the heat contact of players by aligning matches with prime-time viewership slots in major 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), the cooler ensures a more comfortable in-stadium experience for fans during the evening hours.The only exception to this modified schedule is the match between the UAE and Oman, which is set for Monday, 15 September, which will begin with GST (IST) at 4:00 pm at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi (IST). This stability will be the only day game of the tournament.

Tournament format and team group

The Asia Cup will be played in the 2025 T20 format and includes eight -participating nations, divided into two groups:

Group A: India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong

Each team will face others once during the group’s phase. The top two teams of each group will proceed to the Super 4 rounds, where each team will again play against the remaining three. Based on the Super 4 Standing, the top two teams will progress in the finals to be held on Sunday, September 28 in Dubai.A reserved day for the finals for Monday, September 29 has been set to accommodate any weather -related disruption.

India Pakistan clash, major fixtures and places

Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Zayed Cricket Stadium will work as two places for the tournament in Abu Dhabi. Dubai will host a high-day match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, 14 September, one of the most anticipated fixtures of the-group stage.India will open its campaign against hosts UAE on Wednesday, September 10 in Dubai, and will conclude the group stage in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19, in Dubai with a match against Oman in Abu Dhabi.Despite not being engaged in India and Pakistan bilateral series, they continue to face the multi-nation tournaments, as allowed by both governments and sports bodies.