Overview

• The eight-team tournament runs Sept. 9–28, starting with Afghanistan vs Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi before India face the UAE in Dubai on Sept. 10.
• India arrive as defending champions with a streamlined 15-man squad under Suryakumar Yadav, opening a campaign widely billed as their ninth continental title to lose.
• India and Pakistan share Group A with Oman and the UAE, with their first meeting since May’s conflict scheduled for Sept. 14 in Dubai amid calls for restraint from former players.
• Pakistan, led by Salman Agha, enter off a tri-series win and have omitted Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from T20s, with the captain flagging a willingness to use two spinners based on conditions.
• The ACC confirmed match officials including Indian umpires Rohan Pandit and Virender Sharma, while in a separate storyline India’s hockey team reached the Asia Cup final against South Korea with a direct 2026 World Cup berth on the line.