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Bitter Rivalries: Asia Cup 2025 Matches That Can Turn Into Big Fights

Aashay Chopade

India-Pakistan fights (Source:@Cricketwithme15/X.com)India-Pakistan fights (Source:@Cricketwithme15/X.com)

The Asia Cup 2025 is all set to begin on September 9, and this time around, eight teams will go head-to-head in the competition to be held in the T20 format. It is a prestigious tournament, and over the years, there have been plenty of high-octane encounters in the Asia Cup's history.

Along with the on-field competition, the off-field rivalry between neighbouring countries has also contributed to the increased intensity in the tournament. In the upcoming edition, too, we can expect tensions to flare. Thus, here are some of the games where the probability of it happening is higher compared to other encounters.

India-Pakistan

India and Pakistan matches have always attracted huge attention, and the passions tend to run high on both sides due to their long history of off-field tussles. Over the years, many players have been involved in heated battles. It includes some big names like Shahid Afridi, Gautam Gambhir, Shoaib Akhtar, and Harbhajan Singh, to name a few.

The upcoming match on September 14 can go in the same direction, as it is the first encounter between the two nations after the cross-border hostilities in May 2025. 

Pakistan-Afghanistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan's encounters in recent times have been pretty intense, and it is a new rivalry that is catching more and more fire with each passing game. Their on-field tussle is also a product of the political problems between the two nations.

The first big battle happened during the 2022 Asia Cup encounter between the two sides. Fareed Malik and Asif Ali were involved in a heated altercation and then a massive fight broke out in the stands between fans of two countries.

Since then, there has been an element of tension whenever the two sides have gone up against each other, and the implications of it have been evident in many games. The same can be expected in the upcoming Asia Cup, with Afghanistan's stature in world cricket getting bigger and Pakistan trying to keep its dominance in the region intact.

Sri Lanka- Bangladesh

The battle between the two teams started in 2018 when Nazmul Islam came up with a Nagin dance celebration in the Nidhas Trophy match. It brought an element of aggression in the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh clashes, and the players from both teams have openly sledged each other.

In the 2023 World Cup, too, Angelo Matthews was timed out, which did not go well with the Sri Lankan players. Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and all have been involved in heated altercations with Sri Lankan players. Expect the tensions to rise high again, and it would be a clash which could turn out pretty entertaining in the upcoming Asia Cup.