Dubai : The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced that Indian umpires Rohan Pandit and Virender Sharma will be part of the match officials’ panel for the Asia Cup 2025, starting Tuesday in the UAE.
The tournament opener will see Afghanistan face Hong Kong China in a Group B match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Seasoned match referees Richie Richardson and Andy Pycroft will lead the panel, while the list of officials for the Super Four stage and the final will be announced later.
Other umpires in the panel include Ahmad Pakteen (Afghanistan), Asif Yaqoob (Pakistan), Faisal Afridi (Pakistan), Gazi Sohel (Bangladesh), Izatullah Safi (Afghanistan), Masudur Rahman (Bangladesh), Raveendra Wimalasiri (Sri Lanka), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka) along with Pandit and Sharma from India.
India’s campaign begins with a Group A clash against the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10, followed by matches against Pakistan (Sept 14) and Oman (Sept 19).
The 17th edition of the Asia Cup marks India’s return to T20I action after their 4-1 series win over England in January. The tournament also acts as a key build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, where India will defend their title.
This Asia Cup will be India’s first major tournament without veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom retired from T20Is after last year’s World Cup triumph and later stepped away from Tests. Their international commitments are now limited to ODIs.
The duo’s last outing in India colors came during their victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2024 campaign in March.
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