Asia Cup 2025: India squad analysis & Probable XI

Asia Cup 2025: India squad analysis, Player form guide, Team balance and Probable playing XI.

Since India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad announcement, in the presence of chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav, most discussions have been around the not-selected players. However, the selected 15-members have all the skills to defend their crown. The Blue Brigade decided to shoulder vice-captaincy to Shubman Gill and left out Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbai-born didn’t make the cut despite a successful IPL 2025 with 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07. 

Most of the bases for the defending champions look covered. It could turn out to be a problem of plenty. Whenever Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel remain fit, the current T20 World champions enjoy the best balance. 

India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad
Shubman Gill (vc.), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk..), Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk..), Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah. 

Stand-by players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. 

Shubman Gill expected to open with Abhishek Sharma 
Tilak Varma has enjoyed 443 T20I runs in 13 innings at number three since the start of 2023. He celebrated those runs at an average of 55.37 and a strike rate of nearly 170 with two fifties and as many centuries. This record is strong enough to deny his omission from number three. 

In that case, Sanju Samson will have to be the scapegoat, especially after his 51 runs at 10.20 against England at home earlier this year. Being the vice-captain of the side, Shubman Gill is confirmed for the opening spot. He is most likely to open the batting with Abhishek Sharma. The latter smashed 279 runs against England in the same series. 

Suryakumar Yadav returned to form during the IPL 2025 for the Mumbai Indians. The veteran drilled 717 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 167.91, scoring five half-centuries.

Read More: Shreyas Iyer snubbed for Asia Cup 2025, despite stellar IPL season; What else does he need to prove? 

Jitesh Sharma likely to be India’s first-choice wicket-keeper 
India won’t have much concern in the wicket-keeping department. Jitesh Sharma has been in excellent touch from the IPL 2025. For the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he smashed 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.35. However, the most important aspect of his batting was dealing with the pressure on multiple occasions. 

There is no doubt about Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel’s position in the team. Both will bring balance with their skill of bowling four overs. The management can also promote Axar in the batting line-up in a crisis of losing many wickets. The southpaw’s fabulous knock in the T20 World Cup 2024 is a prime example of that. 

Pandya, on the other hand, could provide them a couple of overs in the powerplay and a couple more at the death. In the recent IPL, the Gujarat-born had a batting strike rate of 163.50 and bagged 14 wickets. 

The selection debate in the playing eleven could be between Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh. The former has been a regular member of the side until he picked up an injury. Dube’s consistency in the IPL is excellent, crossing the 300-run mark in the last three seasons. If he doesn’t click, then Rinku could come into the eleven. 

Read More: Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill drafted in as vice captain; Shreyas Iyer given the snub

Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin puts him in front of Kuldeep Yadav 
There is no doubt about the place of Jasprit Bumrah. How can it be? The premier pacer didn’t feature in a single T20I for India since the World Cup final in Barbados 14 months ago. The Ahmedabad-born bagged 18 wickets in 12 innings of the IPL 2025 at an average of 17.55 and an economy rate of 6.67. 

Arshdeep Singh is another valuable member, expected to share the new ball. The left-arm pacer grabbed 21 scalps in IPL 2025 at an economy rate of around nine. His four overs will contribute immensely to the Blue Brigade. 

In the spin department, the debate will be between Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. The Tamil Nadu spinner is ahead in the selection race, having picked 15 or more wickets in each of the last six seasons apart from 2022. Kuldeep Yadav has equally been good, but the current situation is cruel to a few players. The left-arm wrist-spinner is likely to sit out of the eleven. 

If conditions work, then the management may think of using three spinners in the side. In that case, the Delhi Capitals’ spinner will come into the eleven. On the other hand, Harshit Rana will have to sit out at the start. 

India will start their campaign on September 10 against the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium. 

India’s likely starting XI in Asia Cup 2025 
Shubman Gill (vc.), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh. 

Read More: Essentials India must focus on to defend their title in T20 World Cup 2026