Image: Will India defend its title successfully / © ESPNcricinfo
The Asia Cup 2025 has been like no other. Despite missing out on the big names of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, almost every match was able to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. Now, with the Group stages of the tournament coming to an end, we are left with just four teams, which fight for two spots in the final clash.
This time, the tournament has not just been entertaining for the fans with all that happened with the bat and ball. It was also surrounded by a number of controversies, typically in the Group A matches. First, in the match against India and Pakistan, the Indian players didn’t shake hands with the Pakistani team.
Next, in the match between Pakistan and the UAE, the Pakistani team decided not to participate in the match and stayed in their hotels. However, their boycott was short, as the team went back to play the game against the UAE within an hour, and ended up winning the same. This further allowed both India and Pakistan to be in the Super Four from Group A.
For the Group B matches, fans had to wait till the final group clash to know about the final two teams that will be able to make it to the next stage. In the end, Sri Lanka knocked Afghanistan out of the tournament, making way for them and their arch-rivals, Bangladesh, to the next stage. Let’s take a look at all the Super Four teams in the Asia Cup and their journey so far in this edition.
India, the defending champions, became the very first team to be a part of the Super Four stage in the entire tournament. Following their win against Pakistan on 14 September, the team had a huge margin in terms of Net Run Rate, which allowed them to qualify for the Super Four stage.
Not only has India qualified for the same, but they are also looking like the strong favourites to lift the Asia Cup title, looking at the strength of their squad. Having won both of their Group stage matches till now, the team still has one left to play against Oman, where they enter being the strong team.
India started off the tournament on an aggressive note, as their first match took place against the hosts UAE. Bowling them all out for just 57 runs, India was able to chase down the target in just 4.3 overs, which helped the team to put down its biggest win in the Asia Cup. This victory also helped the team boost its Net Run Rate to a great extent.
After this, the team looked well prepared for its upcoming match against Pakistan, which was expected to be a tough one. Still, with its squad strength, India restricted Pakistan to a total of 127/9, and then went on to chase down the total with 7 wickets and 25 balls remaining. This win further helped India to ensure that they will finish at the top of the standings in Group A, and also maintain an impressive run rate.
With the team just playing two matches in the Asia Cup as of now, Abhishek Sharma has emerged as their top run scorer with 61 runs in 2 matches at an average of 30.50 and a strike rate of 210.34. To their bowling side, Kuldeep Yadav remains the team’s leading wicket-taker with an impressive total of 7 wickets in 2 matches at an average of 3.57, and an economy of 4.05 runs per over.
Another name that was clear to the fans to be a part of the Super Four stage is Pakistan. With the actions taken by the team ahead of its last Group Stage match against the UAE, fans thought that they might pull off the tournament, but they showed up in the end and qualified for the Super Four stage.
The team played its first match against Oman in the group stages and scored 160 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in its first innings. Later, they were able to restrict Oman to just 67 runs, allowing the team to start the campaign with an impressive win. However, they were not ready for the upcoming match against India, which was a big challenge for them.
In the match against India, Pakistan once again decided to bat first, but this time they got restricted to a low score of 127. With India’s strong batting depth, they were able to chase down the total with ease, handing Pakistan a big loss, along with a disrespect at the international stage, by not shaking hands with them.
The team also had some issues with the match referee, Andy Pycroft, and they demanded for him to be removed for the remainder of the Asia Cup matches. Due to this reason, Pakistan also did not depart from their team hotel for the match against the UAE, and were willing to withdraw from the tournament.
However, the team got to the stadium and had some words with the match referee and ICC members as they decided to play the game. In its last Group stage match against the UAE, Pakistan decided to bat first and scored 146/9, giving a target of 147 to the hosts. Fortunately, they were able to restrict the UAE to just 105, winning the game and also marking their place in the Super Four.
Fakhar Zaman remains the top run scorer for Pakistan in the Asia Cup till now, as he has scored 90 runs in 3 matches at an average of 45, including a half-century. With the bowl, Saim Ayub has been the star for the team, as he holds 6 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 10.16. Among all the teams in the Super Four stage, Pakistan comes as the third favourite to win.
Sri Lanka, a team that has been a consistent performer in the Asia Cup, has once again made it to the Super Four stage. In Group B, Sri Lanka established its dominance once again by winning all of their matches, which helped it to qualify for the next stage with high confidence levels. As of now, several fans expect India and Sri Lanka to again face each other in the final.
Sri Lanka had its first Group stage match against their arch-rivals, Bangladesh. Bowling first, they were able to restrict Bangladesh to just 139 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. With an easy-to-chase score, the team went down to start the campaign with a 6-wicket win.
After the win against Bangladesh, the team had its next game against Hong Kong, which is yet another underdog team this season. Sri Lanka was able to restrict them to a total of 149 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. But the chase was definitely not easy for them as the team lost quick wickets. Still, they were able to win the game by 4 wickets, clinching two on two.
The team had its last match against Afghanistan to finalise its qualification for the Super Four. This match certainly was a thriller for the fans to watch, as it had the qualification of not just one or two, but three teams for the Super Four stage. Out of which only two were able to get to the same stage.
In their match against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka once again were sent to bowl first, as their bowlers did an incredible job. Mohammad Nabi, from Afghanistan, played a fine half-century knock, which helped the team reach the score of 169/8. However, Sri Lanka ended up chasing this massive total with 6 wickets remaining.
Pathum Nissanka is the top run scorer for the team, and also in this tournament, as he scored 124 runs in 3 matches at an average of 41.33, with two half-centuries. On the other hand, Nuwan Thushara is their key bowler, holding 5 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 14.60, and an economy of 5.91 runs per over.
The last team that has made its way to the Super Four in the Asia Cup is Bangladesh. They stand as the only team in this stage who have not won the Asia Cup even once, due to which their chances to win this time also remain the least. With their qualification dependent on the match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, the team has made its way with Afghanistan losing its match.
Bangladesh had its first match against Hong Kong, as they were able to begin the campaign with a 7-wicket victory. Following this, the team had its match against the arch-rivals, Sri Lanka, which was expected to be a thriller. But with the dominance of Sri Lanka among the Group B teams, Bangladesh ended up losing the game by 6 wickets.
For its qualification in the Super Four stage, the team had to complete its final challenge against Afghanistan, making it a do-or-die match for them. In this match, Bangladesh batted first and the team was able to score 154 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. What fans thought could be an easy chase for Afghanistan ended up with their batting order being trembled for just 146.
Even after two wins in three matches, Bangladesh had not qualified till the final Group B match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. If Afghanistan had defeated Sri Lanka in this game, Bangladesh would not have made it to the Super Four stage. But with Sri Lanka winning the game, Afghanistan were knocked out of the tournament.
Litton Das is currently the highest run scorer for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, with 96 runs in 3 matches at an average of 32, including a half-century. Rishad Hossain has been the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh, with 4 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 16.75, and an economy of 7.44 runs per over.