Asia Cup 2025: Oman, UAE, and Hong Kong Set to Spice Up Tournament

The Asia Cup 2025 is just two days away as Afghanistan and Hong Kong will get the tournament underway in the curtain raiser fixture on Tuesday, September 9 in Abu Dhabi. The eight-team event will feature the usual big sides from Asia, namely India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

However, apart from them, three more teams will also set out to make a mark against the big five. Oman will make their debut at the mega event in the main stages while Hong Kong and UAE are set for their fifth and fourth appearance respectively.

UAE earned their spot in the continental tournament after emerging victorious in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2024 by beating Oman by 55 runs in the final. They’re coming into the event from tri series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, losing all four of their matches. Captain Muhammad Waseem will have the burden of leading his team against the likes of India and Pakistan in Group A.

On the other hand, Hong Kong sealed their spot in the Asia Cup after winning the third-place playoff against Nepal in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2024. They’re coming into the tournament after losing against Malaysia in the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy 2025. They’ve been placed in Group B alongside Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Oman are coming into the tournament having last played in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 2023/24-2027. A runner-up finish at the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2024 sealed their spot in the Asia Cup. They’re placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and the UAE.

Players to watch out for

Ayush Shukla (Hong Kong) – The 22-year-old right-arm seamer has played 52 T20Is and scalped 47 wickets at an average 25.44 and an economy of 7.60. He’s only one among three players to bowl four maidens in a T20I, having achieved the feat against Mongolia in August 2024.

Yasim Murtaza (Hong Kong) – Eyes will also be on the new Hong Kong skipper, who’s a spin all-rounder. The 34-year-old has scored 746 runs and scalped 70 wickets in 63 T20Is.

Muhammad Waseem (UAE) – The 31-year-old has a phenomenal record in T20Is, having scored 2922 runs from 82 innings at an average of 37.94 with three hundreds and 23 fifties. The opening batter has slammed three centuries and 23 fifties.

Haider Ali (UAE) – The left-arm spinner recently finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tri series against Afghanistan and Pakistan with six wickets from four innings at an average of 16.66 and a brilliant economy of 6.25. He will be expected to trouble batters with his variations in the upcoming tournament.

Asif Khan (UAE) – The 35-year-old is known for his big-hitting prowess. He recently scored a quick-fire 77 (35), smashing six fours and as many sixes against Pakistan.

Jatinder Singh (Oman) – Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, in 1989, Jatinder Singh made his T20 International debut for Oman in 2015. The 36-year-old will be seen leading Oman in the upcoming event. Singh has scored 1399 runs from 64 innings at an average of 24.54 with eight fifties to his name.

Squads

Oman: Jatinder Singh (capt), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava.

UAE: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Saghir Khan

Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza (capt), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Niazakat Khan, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Ayush Shukla, Aizaz Khan, Ateeq Iqbal, Kinchit Shah, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Ehsan Khan