Tickets sold out for blockbuster showdown between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup final

DUBAI: Tickets for the pulsating Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday have been sold out. Organisers confirmed to Geo News that the 28,000-capacity venue is “house full”, with fans occupying every seat for the blockbuster showdown.

In their previous encounters in the tournament, the two arch-rivals have attracted huge numbers, with 20,000 spectators filling up the stadium for the group match on September 14 and 17,000 for the Super Four clash on September 21, according to Geo News.

Forty-one years have passed since the inaugural Asia Cup in 1984, and for the first time, India and Pakistan have reached the final together. In both encounters at the Asia Cup 2025, India has comprehensively defeated Pakistan.

Pakistan will walk into the clash as the underdogs, considering they have lost 12 out of their 15 T20I meetings against India. A series of ups and downs marked Pakistan’s journey to the final. Skipper Salman Agha and his troops almost crashed out after Bangladesh had them in a corner during their Super Fours fixture. However, Pakistan dug deep and came from behind to conjure an 11-run victory to storm into the final.

Before the final, India had an injury scare with Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya suffering from cramps during the final Super Fours contest against Sri Lanka. They spent the majority of the parts on the sidelines but have been declared fit before the rivalry clash.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)