Drawn in the same group, India-Pakistan will meet on November 22 in the Rising Asia Cup

Fans of India and Pakistan carry their national flags as they wait for the Asia Cup cricket final between India and Pakistan to begin at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP File Photo) The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the schedule for the 2026 Rising Asia Cup in Doha, where India A and Pakistan A will be drawn in the same group along with Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two sides will face each other on November 22 at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium.India A will begin their campaign against Nepal on November 20 before taking on Pakistan A two days later.They will play their final group stage match against the UAE on November 24.

Rising Asia Cup 2026: Groups and format

Eight teams were divided into two groups for the tournament. Group A includes Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong in China, while Group B consists of India A, Pakistan A, Nepal and United Arab Emirates.Each team will play the other three teams in their group in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for November 26 and 27. The final will be played on November 29.Teams usually field their “A” teams for the Rising Asia Cup. In the 2025 edition, Jitesh Sharma captained India A and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was also part of the team.The West End Park International Cricket Stadium will host most of the matches of the tournament, including the final. The remaining games will be played at the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) Cricket Ground, which will host the opening match on 19 November.

How India A performed in Rising Asia Cup 2025

India A began their 2025 campaign with a 148-run win over the United Arab Emirates in their Group B opener in Doha. Batting first, India scored 297/4 in 20 overs before restricting UAE to 149/7.However, India A lost their next match against Pakistan A by eight wickets. After being bowled out for 136, they watched Pakistan chase down the target in just 13.2 overs.India A bounced back with a six-wicket win over Oman in their final group stage match to reach the target with 13 balls to spare. The win secured them a place in the semi-finals where they faced Bangladesh A.Bangladesh scored 194/6 in 20 overs in the semi-final and India A finished with the same total, forcing a Super Over. Bangladesh won the tie-break to knock India out of the tournament.Pakistan A won the title after defeating Sri Lanka A by five runs in the second semi-final. The final against Bangladesh A also ended in a draw, with both teams scoring 125 runs. Pakistan A eventually won the Super Over and lifted the trophy.