The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has unveiled the schedule for the upcoming 2026 Rising Asia Cup, set to take place in Doha. In a highly anticipated matchup, India A will face Pakistan A on November 22 at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium. They will be joined in their group by Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India A will kick off their campaign on November 20 against Nepal before taking on their rivals, Pakistan A, just two days later. Their last group-stage game is scheduled for November 24, where they will meet the UAE.
### Rising Asia Cup 2026: Groups and Structure
This year’s tournament features eight teams split into two groups. Group A consists of Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A, and Hong Kong, while Group B includes India A, Pakistan A, Nepal, and the UAE. Each team will compete against the other three teams in their group in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which are set for November 26 and 27, while the final will take place on November 29.
Typically, teams send their ‘A’ squads to compete in the Rising Asia Cup. In the previous edition in 2025, Jitesh Sharma captained India A, alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as part of the team.
Most of the matches, including the final, will be held at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium. The opening game is set to be played at the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) Cricket Ground on November 19.
### India A’s Performance in the 2025 Rising Asia Cup
In the 2025 Rising Asia Cup, India A had a strong start, winning their opening match by 148 runs against the UAE in Group B. Batting first, India posted an impressive score of 297/4 in 20 overs and then limited the UAE to 149/7.
However, their next game against Pakistan A didn’t go as planned; India A was bowled out for just 136 runs, allowing Pakistan to chase down the target comfortably by eight wickets in only 13.2 overs.
Despite the setback, India A bounced back with a convincing six-wicket victory over Oman in their final group match, which earned them a spot in the semi-finals. They faced Bangladesh A there, where both teams ended with scores of 194/6, leading to a Super Over. Unfortunately for India, Bangladesh clinched the victory in the tie-breaker, eliminating them from the tournament.
Pakistan A eventually emerged as the champions, winning the final against Bangladesh A in another close match that ended in a tie, before triumphing in the Super Over.
