New Delhi: With an aim to beat the heat in the UAE, the Asia Cup has pushed the matches by half an hour from the original schedule. Originally, the matches were
supposed to start at 6 PM local time and now their will begin at 6.30 PM local time. As per Indian Standard Time, the games will begin at 8 PM instead of 7.30 PM.
As per a report on Cricbuzz, eighteen of the 19 games, including the final have been pushed back due to excessive heat in the UAE at that time. Though altering the timings by just 30 minutes won’t give a full breather but provide some relief to the players, spectators and others present in the stadium. Temperatures during the day in September are expected to soar into the early 40s and stay that way until late evenings.
🚨 CHANGES IN ASIA CUP TIMING. 🚨
– Asia Cup 2025 will kick off from 8pm IST due to extreme heat. (Vaibhav Bhola/News24). pic.twitter.com/JzTn4vJdln
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 30, 2025
Cricket boards request broadcasters
Just to avoid the scorching heat, the cricket boards requested the games to be pushed by some time with the request being made to the broadcasters. There will be only one match unaffected by this change and that would be the only day fixture between UAE and Oman on September 15 in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan and Hong Kong kickstart the proceedings for the eight-team tournament in Abu Dhabi on September 9.
Meanwhile, India play their first match against hosts UAE on September 10 while lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14.
