Rebranded ACC Tournament, Featuring India-Pakistan Clash, Begins Friday in Qatar
Doha, Qatar:The glittering trophy for the newly rebranded ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 was officially unveiled today at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha, setting the stage for the highly anticipated eight-team tournament.
The unveiling ceremony featured the captains of all participating teams—Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, and Oman—who posed with the silverware ahead of the competition.
Previously known as the Emerging Asia Cup, the tournament will run from Friday, November 14, until November 23, with all 15 matches scheduled to be played in Qatar’s capital. The curtain-raiser match will take place today, featuring Pakistan against Oman.
Test-playing nations—Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan—are fielding their developmental ‘A’ teams, providing valuable exposure to their young talents, while the UAE, Hong Kong, and Oman are fielding their senior national sides.
Unlike the senior Men’s Asia Cup, this edition adopts a straight knockout format. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the semi-finals. This structure potentially sets up a highly sought-after Pakistan-India clash in the group stage, with another encounter possible in the final.
Afghanistan enters the tournament as the defending champions, having defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the 2024 edition held in Al Amerat, Oman.
