India's campaign in the U19 Asia Cup 2025, held in Dubai, was dominant until the final. Led by captain Ayush Mhatre, the team topped Group A with a perfect
record, winning all three matches convincingly.
They started strongly against UAE (exact score unavailable but a win), followed by a 90-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, and a massive 315-run thrashing of Malaysia, highlighted by Abhigyan Kundu's record unbeaten 209 and Deepesh Devendran's 5/22.
In the rain-reduced semi-final against Sri Lanka, India restricted them to 138/8 in 20 overs before chasing it down with 8 wickets in hand, thanks to half-centuries from Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George.
Entering the final on December 21 as favorites aiming for a record 9th title (sources vary on prior count), India faced Pakistan again. Opting to bowl, they conceded a mammoth 347/8, powered by Sameer Minhas' brilliant 172. In response, India's batting collapsed, managing only 156 in 26.2 overs, with Deepesh Devendran top-scoring with 36. Pakistan won by 191 runs, claiming their second U19 Asia Cup title.
Despite the defeat, the Indian youngsters must have gained a lot of experience from the competition, and a handful of players from this U19 team will participate in the IPL 2026 as well.
Which India U19 Players are in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre are the big names in the U19 team. Having already played for Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 respectively, the duo are leading the young contingent for the Indian team in IPL.
In the IPL 2026 mini auction, two more players found an IPL team for themselves. Vihaan Malhotra and Kanish Chouhan have both been signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
How did IPL players perform in U19 Asia Cup?
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
The southpaw started the tournament brilliantly with a knock of 171 runs against UAE, and then scored a half-century against Malaysia as well. In the end, he capped off scoring 261 runs in the tournament.
Ayush Mhatre
India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre had a tournament to forget in the U19 Asia Cup. He only scored 65 runs at an average of 13 in the tournament.
Vihaan Malhotra
Punjab's Vihaan Malhotra scored a couple of half-centuries for India U19 in the tournament. He also picked up one wicket. His total runs tally was 156 at an average of 39.
Kanishk Chouhan
Kanishk Chouhan pulled off a superb performance against Pakistan in the group stage match, where he scored 46 runs and picked up 3 wickets. His tournament tally reads 95 runs at an average of 23.75, along with 7 wickets.
