India and Pakistan likely to face off twice in Doha

India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in the league stage on November 16. If both Pakistan and India manage to reach the final, a second encounter between them will take place on November 23. Two semi-finals will be played on November 21. The first semi-final will see the No. 1 team from Group A compete against the No. 2 team from Group B, while the second semi-final will feature the No. 1 team from Group B against the No. 2 team from Group A. Following this, the final will be contested on November 23.

India-Pakistan Face-Off

• League Stage: Group match on November 16.
• Final: A second match if both teams top their groups and reach the final on November 23.

ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup

Group A – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka
Group B – India, Oman, Pakistan, UAE

Path to Semi-finals Almost Certain

In Group B, alongside Pakistan and India, are teams like Oman and UAE. Therefore, their journey to the semi-finals is almost guaranteed. However, they will face stiff competition from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or Afghanistan in the semi-finals. This will not be an easy task. The match on November 16 will be the first meeting between the Indian and Pakistani teams since the Asia Cup in September. However, the women's teams of both countries recently faced each other in the ODI World Cup.

Will Controversy Erupt Again Between India and Pakistan?

In the Asia Cup and World Cup, the Indian team did not shake hands with Pakistan after the match. In this context, will the same happen in the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup? There was also considerable controversy regarding the trophy in the Asia Cup final. Whether this tournament will also witness controversy remains to be seen.

History of the ACC Emerging Teams Tournament

The ACC Emerging Teams Tournament began in 2013, and six seasons have been played so far. The tournament was initially played at the Under-23 level but was later converted into an 'A' team competition. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won it twice each, while India and Afghanistan have won it once. The previous edition was held in Oman in 2024, where Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets to claim the title.

ACC Rising Stars Tournament Schedule

November 14: Oman vs Pakistan; India vs UAE
November 15: Bangladesh vs Hong Kong; Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
November 16: Oman vs UAE; India vs Pakistan
November 17: Hong Kong vs Sri Lanka; Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
November 18: Pakistan vs UAE; India vs Oman
November 19: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong; Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
November 21: Semi-finals
November 23: Final

Indian Squad – Jitesh Sharma (Captain/Wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir (Vice-Captain), Suryansh Shejarde, Ramandeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ashutosh Sharma, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vaishakh Vijay Kumar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Abhishek Porel (Wicketkeeper), Suyash Sharma