The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates. The big news is that Suryakumar Yadav will continue as team captain, while Shubman Gill has been brought back into the T20I setup as vice-captain. Gill’s inclusion is seen as a major boost, not only for his leadership role but also for his batting form.
Gill replaces Axar Patel as deputy and is also expected to take charge at the top of the batting order. Alongside him, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are also being considered as strong opening options. This gives India multiple choices for the powerplay overs, which will be crucial in high-pressure Asia Cup matches.
The middle-order looks balanced and powerful with the presence of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma. If Gill and Abhishek open, Jitesh is most likely to take the wicketkeeping responsibilities. This lineup provides India with both aggressive stroke players and dependable finishers who can handle pressure situations.
To bring depth and flexibility to the team, India has included three all-rounders — Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube. Their ability to contribute with both bat and ball makes them key assets in balancing the side. The bowling attack will be led by India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Arshdeep Singh for left-arm pace. Spin options include Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, while Harshit Rana joins as an exciting young fast-bowling option who can also add quick runs with the bat.
One of the notable exclusions from the main squad is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has instead been named in the reserves list. He is joined by Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel as backup options. Another big surprise was the omission of Shreyas Iyer, despite his outstanding IPL 2025 campaign where he scored 604 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 175 and guided the Punjab Kings all the way to the tournament final.
For Shubman Gill, this is a much-anticipated return to T20 cricket. The last time he served as India’s vice-captain was during the T20I series against Sri Lanka in July 2024. Since then, he was managed carefully by the team management due to his heavy workload in Tests and ODIs. His comeback is backed by superb performances this year — he was a top scorer during India’s Champions Trophy win and also dominated in the five-Test series against England, where he topped the run charts and helped India secure a 2-2 draw in the prestigious Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In IPL 2025, Gill also proved his T20 form, scoring 650 runs at a strike rate of 155.87 for Gujarat Titans.
The Asia Cup 2025 will be India’s first T20I series since their home matches against England in January. The tournament kicks off on September 9 with the opening clash between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. This year, the competition will feature eight teams divided into two groups.
- Group A: India, Pakistan, UAE, Oman
- Group B: Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong
India will begin their campaign against UAE in Dubai on September 10. Their most-awaited clash will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14, a game that promises to draw worldwide attention. India will then play their last group stage match against Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.
India’s Final Squad for Asia Cup 2025
- Suryakumar Yadav (Captain)
- Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain)
- Hardik Pandya
- Arshdeep Singh
- Abhishek Sharma
- Tilak Varma
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel
- Jitesh Sharma
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Harshit Rana
- Rinku Singh
- Sanju Samson
Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal
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