Asia Cup to return to India after 34 years in 2025; venues, dates yet to be finalised
The Asia Cup will be back to India after a 34-year hiatus next year.
Asia Cup is set to return to India after 34 years in 2025, as the country will host the T20 edition of the tournament. The Asian Cricket Council released an invitation for Expression of Interest earlier this week, which reveals that India will host next year's edition in the shortest format, while Bangladesh will host the 2027 edition in ODIs.
The tournament will feature 13 matches with six teams, likely India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, and a sixth team that will emerge from a qualifying event. Although the exact dates have not yet been finalized, Sportstar reports the tournament will likely be scheduled for September once the monsoon season ends.
Early next year, India will play a limited-overs series against England in January-February, followed by the Champions Trophy in February-March. Post-IPL, the team will tour England from June to August, then head to Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is. Consequently, the Asia Cup is expected to slot in after the Bangladesh series and before the two-match Test series against the West Indies in October.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet decided on the venues for the tournament.
The release from the ACC did mention that the details, “including but not limited to the schedules, dates, years, formats and/or venues, regarding the ACC Tournaments” are tentative and may be “subject to change at anytime at the absolute discretion of ACC and without any liability to ACC.”
The Asia Cup is a significant event in the cricket calendar, especially considering there will be no men’s Asian tournament in 2026. That year, the Women’s Asia Cup will feature in T20 format, along with the men’s U-19 and Emerging Teams Asia Cup tournaments.
Last year, the Asia Cup was played in a hybrid model, with Pakistan hosting a few matches at home while India played all its fixtures in Sri Lanka. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, India clinched the title by defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.