IND vs PAK Players In Action - (Source: AFP)
On Sunday, August 17, Pakistan became the first team to name its squad for the Asia Cup 2025 that starts on September 9 in the UAE. The PCB released a 17-member list that will travel to the Middle East for the prestigious continental cup.
Meanwhile, India are expected to name their squad on Tuesday, August 19. The latest report around the squad is that the selectors are in a fix over the 15th member, as they agree on 14 players who will travel to the UAE.
Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar are reportedly fighting for the last spot. However, it has made the fans curious as to why the BCCI is naming just a 15-member squad, while Pakistan were allowed to announce a 17-member squad.
The point of argument is that if India can name a 17-member squad, then there will be no point in having this ongoing four-player race for the final spot.
No Hard And Fast Rule For Squad-Cap In Asia Cup
Notably, there is no hard and fast rule like ICC events, where the teams are barred from naming a squad of over 15 players. Thus, teams are allowed to name a squad of 15-17 members.
Notably, during the 2023 Asia Cup, India had named a 17-member squad, while the Men in Blue took 16 players to the UAE in the 2022 Asia Cup, which was also played in the T20I format.
Despite no hard and fast rule to name a 15-member squad, the teams are advised not to increase their squad strength to more than 17 players. Further, the recent reports that India is most likely to name a 15-member squad, it seems to be a decision derived from the BCCI and maybe the board and coach's decision to not have enough players on the tour and go to the UAE with a clarity over the playing XI, giving more security to the players in the starting XI.
Also, the ACC is a bit lenient on the teams that play a tour before the Asia Cup so as not to name two different squads, allowing them to name a 17-member squad.
