The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Saturday announced the schedule for the 2026 Rising Asia Cup in Doha, with India and Pakistan once again drawn in the same group. The two sides will face each other on November 22 at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium. Teams generally field their A sides in the tournament.ย
Eight teams will participate and are divided into two groups of four.
Group A: Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A, Hong Kong
Group B: India A, Pakistan A, Nepal, UAE
During the group stage, each team will play the other teams in its group once. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals (November 26 and 27), with the winners progressing to the title clash on November 29.
Most matches will be held at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium (WEICS). The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) Cricket Ground will host the remaining fixtures, beginning with the opening match on November 19.
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India A will begin their campaign against Nepal A on November 20 before taking on Pakistan A on November 22. They will conclude their group-stage campaign against the UAE on November 24.
India A reached the semi-finals in the previous edition under captain Jitesh Sharma, with young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also part of the squad. Bangladesh A scored 194/6 in 20 overs, and India A matched the total to force a Super Over. In the Super Over, pacer Ripon Mondol dismissed Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma off consecutive deliveries, leaving India A at 0/2. Bangladesh needed just one run to win. Bangladesh also endured a nervy Super Over, with Yasir Ali caught at long-on by Ramandeep Singh before a wide from Suyash Sharma handed Bangladesh the win.
Pakistan A went on to win the tournament, defeating Bangladesh A in the final's Super Over to lift the trophy.