Before the start of the opening clash of the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the players showed a great spirit of solidarity as they wore black armbands to observe a minute’s silence to pay homage to the left-arm spinner of Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage’s father, Suranga.

The one-minute silence was observed before the national anthem to honor the former player, who passed away during Sri Lanka’s last group-stage clash against Afghanistan on September 18. Dunith Wellalage received incredible support from the cricket fraternity around the world during the difficult phase.

See Also: [WATCH] Smriti Mandhana celebrates 50-ball century in 3rd INDW vs AUSW ODI

The spin all-rounder left the national camp after the end of the last game and attended his father’s funeral before rejoining the team on September 20. He has also been named in the playing eleven for the vital clash against Bangladesh. Wellalage has shown great courage and mental strength in this aspect in his short life.

Sri Lankan team are wearing black armband in today SL vs BAN Super 4 match in Asia Cup 2025

Bangladesh captain Litton Das won the toss and decided to bowl first on a surface he expected to get slow in the second innings. Mehedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam came into the eleven with the management deciding to drop Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain from the team. Sri Lanka went unchanged in the eleven.

The wicket-keeper batter, Kusal Mendis, clubbed 34 runs in 25 balls at a strike rate of 136 with the help of three over boundaries and one six. The best contribution came from Dasun Shanaka, who nailed an unbeaten knock of 64 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 172.97, shouldering on three boundaries and six sixes as they posted 168/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Sri Lanka, in reply, was at a good position at around 82 runs in around 10 overs. Saif Hassan drilled undefeated 47 runs in 33 balls at a strike rate of 142.42. Their wicket-keeper batter, Litton Das, was undefeated on 23 runs in 16 balls.

The two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, are likely to meet for the second round on September 21 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After Sri Lanka’s six-wicket victory over Afghanistan, the Charith Asalanka-led side qualified for the second stage of the event along with Bangladesh, who will lock horns on September 20.

Even though India is not qualified as the topper of the points table, it’s very likely for them to finish at that position. Unless they face a huge defeat against Oman, this is likely to be the scenario with Pakistan finishing as the second-ranked side.

All games of the stage will feature at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, apart from one game in Abu Dhabi between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Litton Das-led side will play back-to-back games on September 24 and 25.

Asia Cup 2025 Super 4: Know Teams, Schedule, Venue, Dates, Match Timings in details

Let’s take a look at all four teams and the schedule, venues, dates, and match timings, along with the respective squads for the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2025.

See Also: RCB batter celebrates milestone against Australia A before India's upcoming home Test season

Asia Cup 2025: Qualified Teams

Group A- India and Pakistan

Group B- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Asia Cup 2025: Super 4 Schedule

Asia Cup 2025 Squads for Super 4 stage- 

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Bangladesh: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Shaif Uddin.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khusdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem.

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwaindu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Janith Liyanage.

The veteran left-arm fast bowler, Udeshaika Prabodhani, has come back for the Sri Lanka squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in India after a long injury period. The batter, Imesha Dulani, who was omitted from the home tri-series against India and South Africa earlier, has also returned to the 15-member squad for the tournament, under Chamari Athapaththu’s leadership.

The 39-year-old Prabodhani, whose last international game for the Sri Lankan side came during the Women’s T20 World Cup in October last year, hasn’t featured in an ODI game since the Ireland trip in August 2024. She was in the recovery process from the persistent hamstring injury, as her return will boost the seam attack, including the 35-year-old Achini Kulasuriya and Malki Madara, the 24-year-old.

See Also: England star closes No. 1 ranking as Pakistan stars rise in updated ICC rankings

The Darga Town-born has picked up 36 wickets in 65 innings of the Women’s ODIs at an average of under 50 and the best bowling figure of 3/35 in an innings. Meanwhile, Achini has picked up 20 wickets in 28 innings at an average of more than 44 with the best figures of 3/35 in an innings.

Sri Lanka pick equal mixture of youth and experience for Women’s ODI World Cup

The captain heads a settled batting line-up that includes Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickerama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Piumi Wathsala, and Anushka Sanjeewani. The 23-year-old Dulani has replaced the 17-year-old Nanayakkara in the squad and is going to serve as the backup batter.

Sri Lanka will start their campaign for the Women’s World Cup against India in Guwahati for the curtain raiser on September 30, before featuring in their next four clashes in Colombo, before they travel to Navi Mumbai to face Bangladesh. They return for the final league game against Pakistan at home. For that, they will take several spin bowling options in Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera, and also the all-rounders, Athapaththu and Dilhari.

Sri Lanka’s Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 squad

Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Imesha Dulani, Hasini Perera, Achini Kulasuriya, Piumi Badalge, Dewmi Vihanga, Malki Madara, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera.

Sri Lanka has announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. Despite the Asia Cup 2025 to follow just a few days after the end of the trip, they have picked a strong 50-over side, perhaps for the preparation of the next ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Wanindu Hasaranga isn’t part of the three 50-over fixtures, which begin on August 29 and will continue to August 31 and September 03, as all the games will be played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. The spinner isn’t part of the side in ODIs and is expected to be part of the T20Is, which will be followed by the Asia Cup 2025 a few days later.

See Also: [WATCH] Prithvi Shaw reacts to his love for Chennai after century in Buchi Babu Trophy 2025

Pathum Nissanka has cracked the formats beautifully recently. In 69 ODI innings, the right-handed batter has smashed 2548 runs at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of nearly 90 with the help of six centuries and 16 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 210 runs.

Sri Lanka rest Wanindu Hasaranga for away Zimbabwe ODIs

The responsibility of the captain will be immense. Leader, Charith Asalanakar, who has now clubbed 2544 runs in 68 innings at an average of 43.86 and a strike rate of 90.88, with five centuries and 16 fifties at the best score of 127 runs, will look to lead the side from the front.  

Maheesh Theekshana who has 77 wickets in 54 ODI innings, at an average of 26.26 and an economy rate of 4.57. He has the skill of handling the new ball beautifully and picking inside the power play. Asitha Fernando has also grown with skills for the new ball bowling.

Sri Lanka will also have Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay to use the old ball in the middle overs. Dushmantha Chameera will be another fast bowler who can use his expressive pace to trouble the batters.

Sri Lanka’s ODI squad for Zimbabwe series

Charith Asalanka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nuwaindu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyange, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Ratnayake, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed their white-ball trip to Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The tour will consist of three 50-over clashes and as many T20Is from January 22, as the aim for the two-time champions will be to prepare their best to earn their third title.

England won their first two trophies of the event in 2009 and 2022, as most of their players will look to earn the best experience on the subcontinental conditions. The series will mark the Harry Brook-led side’s first-white-ball trip in more than seven years, with the last visit coming in 2018 when they clinched the ODI series by 3-1 and won the lone T20I.

See Also: Sachin Tendulkar joins new partnership as 'ask me anything' session scheduled on this date

The last fixture between these two sides during the shortest format came during the victorious 2022 T20 World Cup event, where they beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their group-stage clash. The Asian team’s upcoming T20I series comes against Zimbabwe away from home in September.

England to tour Sri Lanka for white-ball series in January 2026

The new white-ball captain of the Three Lions, Harry Brook, has shed light on his appointment to the position: “I am looking forward to getting started, moving us forward, and working towards winning series, World Cups, and major events for the future. England will also end their ongoing home summer with a white-ball series during the second week of September in Cardiff.

It's a hard reality for the players. The first ODI of the Sri Lanka trip starts just a couple of weeks after the scheduled fifth day of the fifth Ashes 2025/26 Test in Sydney. Most of their players will be drained after seven weeks of red-ball fixtures down under.

That could give some chances to the new players to get settled comfortably. However, most of the top World Cup players are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka for the three T20Is as preparation.

England’s white-ball series to Sri Lanka in 2026

The dates of the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2025 will be held from November 27 to December 23, as it will take place in three venues- Colombo, Kandy, and Dambulla. This is the fourth time in those six years that the T20 competition will be played for the November-December window rather than its July-August slot.

The last two editions were played in November, but with the T20 World Cup 2026 starting in February, the SLC board has found this window best. There had been discussions of a new and sixth side to be added in the competition, along with the sides of Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Dambulla, and Jaffa. There had been talks of the sixth side. However, the board has taken a cautious approach as the LPL has struggled for long-term ownership over the years.

See Also: [WATCH] ‘I don’t think…’- Former England captain reacts to England’s selection in ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

‘The idea to conduct the LPL during this time frame is aimed at aligning the tournament with the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2026. Potential owners for a sixth team are currently being vetted.’ Samantha Dodanwela, the director of the tournament, expressed.

LPL 2025 set to begin on November 27 with inclusion of new franchise

Earlier this year, Jaffna Kings and the Colombo Strikers were terminated by the board for their failure to uphold the contractual obligations. New owners for both these sides are yet to be announced. Dodanwela has aimed to prepare for batting-friendly surfaces, to prepare for the upcoming home T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India.

‘We were quite happy with the wickets during the last edition, particularly in Dambulla and Kandy. We saw lots of high scores and even some centuries during that portion of the tournament. It was only in Colombo where batting was a little harder.’ He revealed.

The generation surfaces have been a topic in the shortest format as the national side lost their recent three-match home series against Bangladesh. Due to the slot, the tournament is expected to clash with several other franchise leagues- SA20, BBL, and ILT20. That will make it a challenge to attract the top-class T20 players around the world. Both SA20 and ILT20, after all, have their partnerships with many IPL franchises.

Hong Kong will be playing the upcoming 2025 season of the Asia Cup as they have hired the former Sri Lanka opening batter, Kushal Silva, as the men’s head coach. His appointment has come ahead of their campaign, where they will face Afghanistan in the event opener on September 09. 

Kushal Silva, the 39-year-old Colombo-born, featured for 39 Tests for the national side, where he smashed 2099 runs at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of three centuries and 12 half-centuries at the best score of 139 runs. In 335 FC innings, he nailed nearly 14k runs at an average of 46.44 with 41 centuries and 54 half-centuries.

See Also: 'Very Easy...'- Kevin Pietersen defends Ben Stokes' behavior after India refuses to accept draw proposal in ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

Silva’s career progressed between 2011 and 2018, as his last red-ball clash in international cricket came against England in Kandy. The veteran has had coaching stints in Sri Lanka, England, and Australia since 2019, when he finished as a player. However, this will be his first assignment for the international side.

Hong Kong appoint Kaushal Silva as men’s head coach ahead of Asia Cup 2025

‘Kaushal's dedication to nurturing and developing talent resonates with our vision for the future of cricket in Hong Kong. We believe that under his guidance, we can not only elevate our competitive standing but also promote the sport within our community.’ Burji Shroff, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Cricket, China, in a press release, said about the board’s plans.

Silva has made a clear message of ‘focus will be on instilling a strong work ethic and a winning mentality amongst the senior squad and working to identify and nurture fresh talent for continued growth". In the batter’s appointment, they will be looking to develop their skills in various departments during the T20 Asia Cup, where they will also face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first group stage.

Their last assignment was in the Asia Pacific Champions Trophy in Singapore. In the final, they lost to Malaysia, who chased down the target of 53 runs in five overs thanks to captain Syed Aziz’s brutal knock of 36 runs in nine balls with five sixes and one boundary.  

The speculation on the future of the Asia Cup 2025 had been going on for a long time. During the recent Champions Trophy 2025, both India and Pakistan came to an aggrement of not travelling to one another for the ICC events. They came to the final discussion of facing each other only in neutal venues. Post that, the relationship worsened after the outbreak of conflict last month before the ceasefire.

Recently, the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 was cancelled between two sides at Edgbaston due to many players pulling out of the encounter. This created new fire of whether the Asia Cup 2025 would be posisble bewteen the participation of one of these two sides. But after several meetings and various chapters on the issues, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting was held in Dhaka with the BCCI, SLC and ACB joining virtually. 

The reports have claimed that the tournamnet will begin on Sepetember 08, Monday, and will run till September 28. Along with the top five nations of Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghansitan, and Bangaldesh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Hong King will also participate in the competition. All the games will take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They planned initially to start it on September 05, but Sri Lanka's tour of Zimbabwe ends on September 07. 

Asia Cup 2025 to take place from September 08 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

There were thoughts of the tournamnet not taking place at one point with the BCCI not aggreing for the ACC meeting in Dhaka. But later, the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi's arrival in Bangladesh on July 23 put spice in the fire. Apart from these, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has also reached Dhaka. In the meeting, a few proposals, includig the financial meeters, were passed in. Another meeting is expected to happen  in the next two weeks, where India's representatives will be present physically. 

In today's meeting, India and other of other countries joined via online. So, the final decision has been made that Asia Cup 2025 will happen but the final approval will be given in the next meeting. On the other hand, there was no election of the vice-president post during the meeting, which may get tossed-up in the next phase. 

A bizarre visual took place during the second T20I game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, where the home fans left the field before the 15th over of their batting. It was bound to happen with the Charith Asalanka-led side finding themselves 86/8 on the 15th over of the chase. 

The reports claimed that tickets were sold out for the encounter two days before the encounter, but a poor performance during the second T20I saw the fans leaving the ground way before it ended. Sri Lanka was never in the chase as they kept losing wickets in the second innings against the Bangladesh spinners.

See Also: 'Anything close will be not out...'- Anil Kumble slams umpire Paul Reiffel during ENG vs IND 3rd Test

The home side came into the second game after their inspiring all-around performance, where they chased down the 160-run score with seven wickets in hand and one over to spare. They batted well in that game in Pallekele but couldn’t repeat the same performance in Dambulla two evenings later.

WATCH: Sri Lanka fans return home midway through SL vs BAN 2nd T20I

Batting first, Bangladesh put 177 runs on the board for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. They lost both openers, Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon, for single-digit scores before their captain, Litton Das, rescued them with 76 runs in 50 balls, shouldering on one boundary and five sixes at a strike rate of 152.

Tickets sold out two days prior to the game, and they had to return home before the 15th over in the Sri Lankan innings 🤦‍♂️ #SLVBAN pic.twitter.com/NSszAbhJ4Q

— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) July 13, 2025

Shamim Hossain also provided them a late order firing attack with 48 runs in 27 balls at a strike rate of nearly 180, with the help of five boundaries and two sixes to shoulder them to 177/7 in their 20 overs. But the requirement was to still come up with a better bowling performance to restrict them.

In the second innings, Bangladesh was excellent, with only two batters for Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka and Pathum Nissanka, making it into the double digits. None of the other batters were able to do so. They lost their first three wickets for 25 runs before getting restricted to 71/6. Shoriful Islam and Mohammed Saifuddin picked up two wickets each while Rishad Hossain registered 3/18 in 3.2 overs. That helped the visitors earn a victory by 83 runs and level the series by a 1-1 margin.

The wait for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 is expected to end soon as the broadcaster advertisement has ended the speculation for the event. This season’s tournament will take place in the 20-over format, as the teams will participate to make their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

It wasn’t the case during the last edition of the Asia Cup in 2023 when hosts Sri Lanka ended as the runners-up of the tournament before winner India due to the 2023 ODI World Cup. According to the reports, all the games of the upcoming season will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the hybrid model between the Blue Brigade and the Green Brigade.

See Also: Indian selectors refuse to respond to Ajinkya Rahane? Former Indian captain drops bombshell

The official broadcasters, Sony Sports Network, have put an advertisement in which they have revealed that the competition will kick off in September. The expected date for the beginning could be the fifth day of the month. Both India and Pakistan have already agreed to feature in all competitions through the hybrid model.

Broadcaster advertisement leaks Asia Cup 2025 dates

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be the six nations taking part in the coming event, which will be played in the group stage and the Super Fours format. That has also meant that the two neighboring countries’ high-octane encounter of India vs Pakistan will be played at least two times, if they qualify for the second stage.

ASIA CUP IN SEPTEMBER ON SONY NETWORK...!!! pic.twitter.com/ksFORLTg58

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 13, 2025

The final is expected to take place on September 21. Reportedly, the promotional activities for the tournament have already begun with the Sony broadcaster sharing pictures and showing them on their channels during the ongoing Test series between India and England. If the Asia Cup goes as planned, it will send a strong message for all future tournaments to go smoothly.

Earlier, a few reports claimed that India, under Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I captaincy, may pull out of Asia Cup due to the cross border tensions but the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, had refuted those claims by saying ‘Such news is devoid of any truth as till now, the BCCI has not even discussed or taken any such steps regarding the ensuing ACC events, leave alone writing anything to the ACC.’