The ACC Rising Stars T20 tournament began in Doha with Pakistan and Oman set to play the opener, and India to face Pakistan on November 16.
Pakistan and Oman will open the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Rising Stars T20 tournament in Doha, Qatar, on November 14, while the high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled for November 16. The organisers announced the groups on Friday, confirming Group A will feature Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka, while Group B includes India, Oman, Pakistan, and UAE.
Earlier known as the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, the tournament will now be played in the T20 format. It will feature the ‘A’ teams of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while the three Associate nations — Hong Kong, Oman, and UAE — will field their senior squads. Two matches will take place each day from November 14 to 19, followed by the semi-finals on November 21 and the final on November 23.
This event will mark the first cricket meeting between the men’s teams of India and Pakistan since the senior Asia Cup held in September. The women’s teams of both nations recently met at the ODI World Cup earlier this month.
ACC Rising Stars tournament schedule
Nov 14 – Oman vs Pak; Ind vs UAE
Nov 15 – Ban vs HK; Afg vs SL
Nov 16 – Oman vs UAE; Ind vs Pak
Nov 17 – HK vs SL; Afg vs Ban
Nov 18 – Pak vs UAE; Ind vs Oman
Nov 19 – Afg vs HK; Ban vs SL
Nov 21 – Semi-finals: A1 vs B2; B1 vs A2
Nov 23 – Final
When the men played the Asia Cup, there were no handshakes or greetings between the players of the two countries. The tournament ended with India, the champions, leaving Dubai without the trophy. It later emerged that they had chosen not to receive the trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a parliamentarian in Pakistan and serves as the PCB chairman. After a long wait, an ACC official finally removed the trophy from the dais when it became clear that the Indian players would not come forward to collect it.
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The Emerging Teams tournament began in 2013 and has seen six editions so far. Initially introduced as an Under-23 competition, it was later changed to a tournament featuring ‘A’ teams. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won the title twice, while India and Afghanistan have won it once each. Afghanistan lifted the most recent edition in 2024 in Oman, defeating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the final.
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Last Updated on October 31, 2025
