(AP Photo)
India is anticipated to host the Men’s Asia Cup in 2025, with Bangladesh scheduled to take over the tournament in 2027, where it will be contested in the 50-over format. This information was disclosed in an Invitation for Expressions of Interest (IEOI) document released by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which pertains to sponsorship rights from 2024 to 2027.
The ACC document suggested that the tournament could rotate between India and Bangladesh. However, it also indicated that the schedules, dates, years, formats, and venues for ACC Tournaments are provisional and could be altered, meaning the hosting arrangements are still subject to finalization.
For context, the 2023 edition of the tournament was originally set to be hosted by Pakistan. Due to political tensions with India, the hosting responsibilities were reassigned to Sri Lanka, where all matches, including the knockout stages, were played. The Indian team ultimately won the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets.
Mohammed Siraj was the standout performer in the final, delivering an exceptional six-wicket haul that dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup, leaving them all out for just 50 runs.
During the 2023 tournament, the Indian team had only one defeat, losing to Bangladesh by 6 runs in their final Super 4 match.
At present, the Indian squad is under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, who has stepped in as the new Head Coach following Rahul Dravid’s departure after India’s T20 World Cup victory in Barbados in 2024.
Gambhir’s tenure has begun impressively, with the Indian team securing the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a match still to play. Suryakumar Yadav has taken over as captain of the Indian T20I side following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. This new chapter for the team has started on a high note, marked by two convincing victories over Sri Lanka.
The 2025 Asia Cup will be a significant challenge for Suryakumar Yadav as he leads the Indian team in the T20 format. It will be an opportunity for him to showcase both his leadership skills and batting prowess on a major stage.
