India won Asia Cup title for the 9th time by defeating Pakistan in the final

With an unbeaten innings by Tilak Varma, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, to win its ninth Asia Cup title.

• India defeated Pakistan by five wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, to win its ninth Asia Cup title. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten innings played a decisive role in the dramatic conclusion of the tournament.
• This victory further strengthened India’s excellent record against Pakistan in this tournament, as it defeated Pakistan in all three encounters, including the group stage and Super Four matches on 14 September and 21 September.
• Chaos erupted during the post-match ceremony when Mohsin Naqvi, who holds both positions of ACC President and Pakistan’s Home Minister, stood awkwardly on the stage, while the Indian team refused to participate in the award ceremony, resulting in the trophy being removed from the field without any traditional celebration.
• At the post-match press conference, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav announced that he would donate his entire match fee of the Asia Cup 2025 tournament to the Indian Army.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared the India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup to Operation Sindoor and said the result was the same and India won. In a social media post, the Prime Minister wrote, “Operation Sindoor, on the playground.”
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a cash prize of ₹21 crore for players and support staff.

Asia Cup 2025’s Major Awards –

• Player of the Match (Final): Tilak Varma
• Gamechanger of the Match (Final): Shivam Dube
• Player of the Tournament: Abhishek Sharma
• Most Valuable Player of the Tournament: Kuldeep Yadav
• Most Runs: Abhishek Sharma
• Most Wickets: Kuldeep Yadav
• Most Sixes: Abhishek Sharma

Asia Cup, 2025

• The 2025 Men’s Asia Cup (also known as DP World Asia Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 17th edition of the Asia Cup cricket tournament. It was held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 9 to 28 September 2025.
• The matches were played in Twenty20 International (T20I) format. India was the defending champion of 2023. The tournament included eight teams. The opening match on 9 September between Afghanistan and Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi was won by Afghanistan by 94 runs.
• The five full members of the Asian Cricket Council, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, automatically qualified for the tournament, along with United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Hong Kong, who finished in the top three of the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup.

History of the Asia Cup

• It began in 1984. In recent years, since 2016, the format has alternated between T20I and ODI: 2016 (T20I), 2018 (ODI), 2022 (T20I), 2023 (ODI), 2025 (T20I).
• From the beginning of the Asia Cup, three countries have dominated: India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Among them, India is the most successful team, having won the trophy a record nine times. Their victories include the first edition in 1984 and the most recent edition in 2025.
• Sri Lanka is second with six titles, while Pakistan has won the cup twice, in 2000 and 2012. Other teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan have also participated, but have not yet won the tournament.