Asia Cup matches to start half an hour early amid extreme UAE heat

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has announced revised timings for the Asia Cup matches, starting September 9 across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. To counter the intense heat, 18 out of 19 games will begin half an hour earlier than originally planned, pushing play closer to sunset.

This means the matches, which were initially slated for a 6 PM start, will now begin at 6:30 PM local time. The only exception is the day game between UAE and Oman on September 15 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, which will start at 4 PM.

“The start time for 18 out of the 19 DP World Asia Cup 2025 matches has been updated. These matches will now begin at 6:30pm local time (Gulf Standard Time),” the ECB said in a statement.

“The Monday, 15 September match between UAE and Oman will start at 4pm local time at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, the only day game of the tournament.”

The tournament will open with Afghanistan facing debutants Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. In light of the 2026 T20 World Cup, the Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format this year. Eight teams have been split into two groups: Pakistan, India, Oman and hosts UAE in Group A; Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong in Group B.

The highly anticipated Pakistan-India clash is set for September 14 in Dubai, marking the archrivals’ first meeting since the military standoff between the two countries in May following the Pahalgam incident. India were originally scheduled to host the competition, with Pakistan’s matches arranged at neutral venues, but the entire tournament was later shifted out of India.

Besides the group stage game, Pakistan and India could potentially meet twice more in the tournament. Two teams from each group will proceed to play the Super Four stage, where, if both of the sides qualify, a match between them is almost a certainty. Additionally, a possible meet-up in the final could be their third encounter in less than a month.

India are the defending champions of the Asia Cup, having won the last edition in 2023 when the tournament was played in the ODI format. The last T20I-format Asia Cup was won by Sri Lanka a year earlier, when they defeated Pakistan in the final.

2025 Asia Cup Schedule: