The countdown to the Asia Cup 2025 squad announcement is almost over, and the Indian selectors face one of their trickiest tasks in recent memory. The selection meeting is expected around August 19, with several big names returning to contention, making the decision-making far from straightforward.
Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer are all available for the September 9–28 tournament, adding both quality and complexity to the final 18-man list. Notably, none of them featured in India’s last T20I assignment against England earlier this year, but the stakes for the Asia Cup are considerably higher — especially with the possibility of facing arch-rivals Pakistan up to three times.
Gill’s red-hot Test form, capped by 754 runs in the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, makes him hard to ignore, while Siraj’s match-winning spells in England have reignited his T20I prospects. Yet, with a settled top order of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, plus middle-order stability in Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, finding room will require some bold calls.
Bumrah’s return will be a major boost, but it could also squeeze out other pacers in form. Meanwhile, Jaiswal and Iyer remain strong contenders despite the competition. With so many in-form players vying for limited spots, the selectors are set for a balancing act that could shape India’s Asia Cup campaign.
