Doha, Qatar – The highly anticipated clash between India A and Pakistan A in the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 is set to take place today at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. This Group B encounter is particularly significant, as both teams have already secured victories in their opening matches of the tournament.
India A began their campaign with a commanding 148-run win over the UAE, propelled by an extraordinary innings from 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young left-hander's breathtaking 144 off just 42 balls, including 11 fours and 15 sixes, set the stage for India's dominance. His century came in a mere 32 balls, equaling Rishabh Pant for the joint-second fastest T20 hundred by an Indian. Suryavanshi was particularly harsh on Muhammad Jawadullah and Harshit Kaushik, hitting them for seven sixes in just two overs. This follows Suryavanshi's earlier achievement of becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history while playing for the Rajasthan Royals.
Pakistan A also started strong, defeating Oman in their opening match. The team is led by Irfan Khan Niazi and features promising batsmen like Maaz Sadaqat.
The focus will be on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, whose recent explosive performance has made him the player to watch. Suryavanshi also became the first cricketer to score a century for India A in a T20 match. He reached his half-century in just 17 balls and continued his aggressive play, scoring the next 50 runs in only 15 deliveries. He was dropped off the first ball he faced and made UAE pay the price.
India A, led by Jitesh Sharma, boasts a youthful and explosive batting lineup, including Priyansh Arya, and Naman Dhir. The likely playing XI for India A includes Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir, Jitesh Sharma, Ramandeep Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, and Suyash Sharma. Pakistan A’s likely XI features Yasir Khan, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Faiq, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Irfan Khan, Saad Masood, Mubasir Khan, Ubaid Shah, Salman Mirza, and Ahmed Daniyal.
The match is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM IST at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. Cricket fans can watch the live stream on the Sony LIV app and website, or tune into Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD channels.
Adding to the tension, India A is expected to continue the BCCI's "no handshake" policy with the Pakistan team, a stance taken in solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. This protocol began during the senior Asia Cup in September.
The Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025, formerly known as the Emerging Asia Cup, is being held in Qatar from November 14 to 23. The tournament includes eight teams divided into two groups. Group A consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong, while Group B includes Pakistan, India, UAE, and Oman. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
