The Asia Cup, a premier multi-nation cricket tournament, is a key fixture in the 2025 cricketing calendar, pitting Asia’s top teams against each other. With the 2025 edition expected to be a T20 affair,
expectations are reportedly high from India, who aim to reclaim the title they last won in 2023 in the ODI format. The tournament is set to begin on September 9, with the group stage fixtures of the Indian cricket team scheduled on September 10, 14 and 19 against UAE, Pakistan and Oman respectively.
As Team India gears up for the Asia Cup 2025, a notable change in the team’s travel logistics has reportedly emerged. A report has claimed that the Indian squad members will not travel together to the tournament’s host city, marking a departure from the traditional practice of unified team travel. Instead, players will reportedly arrive in Dubai from their respective cities by the evening of September 4, with the first training session scheduled for September 5 at the ICC Academy, reportedly confirmed by a senior BCCI official. Reports claim that this flexibility also minimizes travel fatigue, a critical factor for a T20 tournament that demands peak physical and mental sharpness.
Team India to assemble by September 4; to begin training from Sept 5: Reports
The 2025 Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format. India’s last white-ball assignment in this calendar year was the 2025 Champions Trophy, which they won by defeating New Zealand. Interestingly, the tournament was also held in Dubai. However, it was seen in the announcement revealing the players selected for the tournament that the top performing players, including Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami were excluded from the squad. Shreyas Iyer was India’s top scorer in the tournament with 243 runs, while Mohammed Shami also had a fabulous outing, taking nine wickets and being India’s top wicket-taker in the tournament, along with Varun Chakravarthy who also claimed nine wickets.
For now, the focus now shifts to September 4, when the Indian squad will converge in Dubai, ready to kick off their campaign. The BCCI’s reported decision to prioritize logistical convenience over tradition underscores a forward-thinking approach, but it also places the onus on the players to arrive in Dubai mentally and physically prepared. With the tournament serving as a crucial stepping stone to the 2026 T20 World Cup, all eyes will be on how India navigates this unique travel arrangement and whether it impacts their quest for glory.
