Muhammad Waseem will captain the United Arab Emirates’ 17-member squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. The squad features two new inclusions from the ongoing T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan: right-arm pacer Matiullah Khan and left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh. The rest of the squad retains their places from previous selections.
Matiullah, 32, has featured in one ODI and five T20Is for UAE. His most recent T20I appearance was against Nigeria in the Pearl of Africa Series in July. Simranjeet, 35, has played five ODIs and 11 T20Is and last represented UAE in the Gulf T20I Championship last December. Their inclusion strengthens UAE’s pace and spin options ahead of the continental tournament.
UAE’s previous Asia Cup participation was in 2016 in Bangladesh, when the tournament was conducted in the T20 format. This year, UAE is placed in Group A, alongside India, Pakistan, and Oman. The tournament will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, starting September 9, with UAE beginning their campaign against India on September 10 in Dubai. While UAE has yet to record a victory against India or Pakistan in any format, they have beaten Oman in all five T20Is played between the two sides.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Fours stage. UAE’s squad combines experienced campaigners and emerging talent, offering a balanced mix of batters, bowlers, and all-rounders.
UAE Squad for 2025 Asia Cup: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.
The UAE team will look to make an impact in the Asia Cup, aiming to build on their limited T20I success and challenge the established teams in their group.
