The Asia Cup is set to commence from September 9 and has returned with the T20I format. On September 9, Tuesday, the opening match will be played which is between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The final will be hosted on September 28. This time the Asia Cup is being hosted at the United Arab Emirates. Two venues will host the entirety of the competition. They are the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai and the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage where every team will play each other once. Top two teams from the Super Fours will clash in the final on September 28. India are the defending champions of the Asia Cup and they are strong favourites this time too. India's Matches in Asia Cup 2025: Check Schedule for Men in Blue in Continental Cricket Tournament.

Sri Lanka won the last time the tournament was hosted in T20 format. Pakistan recently won the UAE Tri-Series and after winning it, they will have momentum behind them, specially with their new coach Mike Hesson at the helm. Afghanistan are a contender too, specially after their run to the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal. Eight teams are participating in the Asia Cup 2025. India and their arch-rivals Pakistan are drafted in the same group alongside Oman and UAE. They are in Group A. Group B consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. Nepal are not part of the Asia Cup this time. Fans who are eager to know why Nepal is not part of Asia Cup 2025, will get the complete information here.

Why is Nepal not playing in Asia Cup 2025?

Nepal are not part of Asia Cup 2025 as they failed to qualify for the tournament in this edition. Out of the eight participant teams, five are booked by the permanent members of ACC. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the five permanent ACC members, who have secured qualification to the Asia Cup 2025 directly. The remaining three slots in the Asia Cup 2025 were filled based on results in the ACC Premier Cup that was played in 2024.

A total of 10 teams participated in the tournament, and they were divided into two groups of five each. Although Nepal qualified for semifinal, they lost back-to-back against UAE in semifinal and in the third-place match against Hong Kong. That is the reason of them not qualifying for the Asia Cup 2025. Asia Cup 2025 Live Streaming Online To Be Available on SonyLIV, Sony Sports Network To Provide Live Telecast of Continental T20I Competition.

Nepal were the part of Asia Cup 2023 as they qualified for the competition for the first time. They displayed a solid performance in T20 World Cup 2024 as well and fans expected them in the Asia Cup 2025. Despite that, they missed out on their spot.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2025 12:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).