Published: Sep 28, 2025, 12:05 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 28, 2025, 12:06 PM (IST)
India will face their arch-rivals Pakistan for the third Sunday in a row, in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India have won all six of their matches so far. Their last game was a close Super Over win against Sri Lanka. For the final, India are likely to make a few changes, and Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return as their main fast bowler.
Out of India’s six wins in the Asia Cup 2025, four were achieved with the same playing XI. Because of this consistency, their team for the final will most likely remain unchanged.
This means Jasprit Bumrah will return as the main fast bowler, and all-rounder Shivam Dube will also be back in the team. Young bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana haven’t performed well in their two Asia Cup games. If India stick with the team that has been successful, both are likely to be left out.
One concern for India is the injury to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Both Hardik and opener Abhishek Sharma had cramps against Sri Lanka. While bowling coach Morne Morkel said Abhishek is fine, he gave a note of caution about Hardik’s condition.
“Both of them struggled with cramps. Hardik, we will assess tonight and tomorrow morning and make a call. But both of them struggled with cramps. Abhishek is fine,” Morkel had said in the post-match press conference after India’s win over Sri Lanka.
If Hardik Pandya can’t play, either Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana might get a chance. India could also pick a pure batter like Rinku Singh or Jitesh Sharma, but that’s unlikely since neither has played a match in the tournament so far.
India’s Predicted XI vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Final: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
