India secured their place in the Asia Cup 2025 final with a commanding 41-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Pakistan also survived a wobble against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours stage, securing a five-wicket win in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. With this win, India became the first team to qualify for the 2025 Asia Cup final, while Sri Lanka was eliminated from the tournament. Here’s what it means for Pakistan and the prospects of the two rivals clashing in the final.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh
With India through and Sri Lanka eliminated after two straight losses, the upcoming clash between Pakistan and Bangladesh has become a do-or-die match. The winner of Thursday’s Super Four encounter will secure the second spot in the final and face India at the Dubai International Stadium on September 28.
India-Pakistan to clash in Asia Cup finale?
Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have won one and lost one match in the Super Fours so far. Whichever team wins will move on to the final, keeping their Asia Cup hopes alive. For records, Bangladesh has beaten India only once in T20 Internationals, in the 1000th T20I match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Interestingly, despite their strong cricketing history, India and Pakistan have never met in an Asia Cup final in the tournament’s 41-year history. If Pakistan beats Bangladesh, the upcoming final will mark the first-ever India-Pakistan showdown at the summit of the Asia Cup. “Our job is to win the Asia Cup, and we will make a complete effort to do that,” said Pakistan pace bowler and former captain Shaheen Shah Afridi.
India has won 12 of the last 15 T20Is against Pakistan, including both matches in this edition of the Asia Cup. This dominance led Suryakumar Yadav to comment that India-Pakistan “is not a rivalry any more.”
“I think you should stop asking questions on the rivalry because rivalry is when both sides play 15-20 matches, and one side is ahead by 8-7. It is called playing good cricket and a rivalry. 3-0, 10-1, I don’t know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore,” Suryakumar told the media after India’s win over Pakistan last Sunday.
Bangladesh stand-in skipper Zaker Ali spoke about their upcoming match against Pakistan. “It’s quite surprising, but we are focused on our preparation. All the credit goes to the boys, after ten overs, they adjusted brilliantly. We can take a lot of positives from this game. Tomorrow is another match, and we have to keep in mind that we can still win and make it to the final. We’ll decide the combination, but we will give it our best,” Zaker Ali said at the post-match presentation.
