Hardik Pandya ruled out of Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan: Indian media
Indian media had recently reported that Pandya had not participated in warm-ups
DUBAI: Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the high-octane ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Indian media had recently reported that Pandya had not participated in warm-ups, signaling that he would likely be unavailable for the crucial final.
During the toss time Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav gave update on Pandya's injury and revealed that star batter Rinku Singh comes in as his replacement.
"Unfortunately Hardik misses out with a niggle. Bumrah, Dube and Rinku come in," Suryakumar said at the toss.
This historic final marks the first time Pakistan and India will face each other in an Asia Cup title clash, further fueling excitement around the encounter.
The Asia Cup, inaugurated in 1984 in the UAE with Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka competing in a round-robin format, has a rich history.
India claimed the inaugural title, while the first-ever final was contested in 1986, where Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by five wickets in Colombo to secure their maiden championship.
Pakistan won their first Asia Cup in 2000, beating Sri Lanka by 39 runs in Dhaka, and added a second title in 2012.
Overall, Pakistan have featured in five Asia Cup finals, winning twice and finishing runners-up three times, most recently against Sri Lanka in 2022.
India remain the tournament’s most successful team, having reached 11 finals, winning eight titles, and finishing runners-up on three occasions.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025: Salman Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.
India squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
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