Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan to face India in final

New Delhi, Sep 26, 2025 : In cricket, Pakistan sealed the final spot by defeating Bangladesh by 11 runs in their Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai last night. With this win, Pakistan will now face India in the summit clash on Sunday. Remarkably, for the first time in 17 editions of the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan will clash in the final.

Opting to bowl first, Bangladesh started brilliantly with the ball, particularly in the first 10 overs, and reduced Pakistan to 49 for 5 at one stage. However, crucial cameos from Mohammad Haris, who scored 31, Mohammad Nawaz, who added 25, and Shaheen Afridi, who chipped in with 19, helped Pakistan recover to 135 for 8 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Bangladesh never quite found momentum as Pakistan mounted a superb comeback with the ball. Their relentless pressure and incisive bowling restricted Bangladesh to 124 for 9, and they eventually fell 11 runs short of the target. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf were outstanding as both claimed three wickets each, while Shamim Hossain tried to fight back with 30 runs, but his effort proved insufficient for Bangladesh.

Shaheen Afridi was named Player of the Match for his clinical all-round performance with both bat and ball.

In another match, India stormed into the final of the Asia Cup 2025, beating Bangladesh by 41 runs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After being invited to bat first, India scored 168 for 6 in the stipulated 20 overs, with Abhishek Sharma’s 75 of just 37 balls and Hardik Pandya’s 38-run innings in the slog overs. In response, Saif Hassan’s 69 runs went in vain as Indian spinners led by Kuldeep Yadav dominated the Bangladesh lineup. Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah each bagged 2 wickets. Abhishek Sharma was adjudged Player of the Match for his fiery innings.