India vs. Pakistan: Asia Cup 2025 final set for the Greatest Rivalry in cricket
Asia Cup 2025 Final: A historic and emotionally charged showdown in Dubai
The time has finally come - India and Pakistan will meet in a clash that the entire cricketing world has been waiting for this Sunday - it's the Asia Cup 2025 final!
While this competition has now been in existence for almost four decades, this is the first time that these arch-rivals will contest the final, which is a fact that ramps up interest even further in what will be a historic showdown in Dubai. Don’t forget to check out our cricket predictions for expert insights.
Between the devastating attacks in Pahalgam this year, India’s retaliation through Project Sindoor and India Legends opting to withdraw from their matches against Pakistan at the World Championship of Legends, tensions between these nations are as high as they have been for many a year.
In this competition, we have already seen the bad blood between the nations, with both teams opting against the customary pre- and post-match handshakes, while the most recent encounter saw a few harsh words exchanged as India romped to a six-wicket victory in the Super 4s.
All of this sets the stage for a match for the ages, and India enter it as the clear favourites according to the best online betting sites. The Men in Blue are the reigning champions, while the Shaheens have not won the Asia Cup since it was changed to the T20 format in 2016.
India vs. Pakistan: How did they reach the Asia Cup 2025 final
India came through the group stage of the 2025 Asia Cup with flying colours, winning all three of their matches in Group A, which featured Pakistan, Oman, and the tournament hosts, the United Arab Emirates.
The Men in Blue recorded a stunning net run rate of +3.547 during the group stage and carried that level of performance into the Super 4s, where their first match was against the Shaheens, and India won it by six wickets and an over to spare.
Suryakumar Yadav’s side, led by the incredible performances of Abhishek Sharma, then went on to demolish Bangladesh in their second Super 4s clash, which, in essence, booked their spot in the final ahead of their dead-rubber match against Sri Lanka on Friday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have suffered just two defeats in this competition, the first was a seven-wicket loss during the group stage before the one in the Super 4s - indeed, this is the third time these sides will lock horns in the 2025 Asia Cup.
Asia Cup 2025 final: Match details
Date: 28 September 2025
Time: 19:30 Indian Standard Time
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
How to watch: Sony Sports Network and FanCode
India squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz
