India-Pakistan Clash Without These 3 Stars – Asia Cup 2025 Drama Begins

India to Miss Key Players in 2025 Asia Cup Squad

The Asia Cup 2025 is happening in the UAE, with India as the host! It’s going down from September 9 to September 28. Get ready for some T20 action this year, which should be a good warm-up for the T20 World Cup coming up.

Mark your calendars: India vs Pakistan is on September 14. Bad news for fans: Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are all out of the tournament.

Also read: India vs Pakistan Clash Incoming: Asia Cup 2025 Dates & Venue Revealed!

Rishabh Pant’s Foot Injury Rules Him Out

Rishabh Pant has been ruled out after fracturing his foot on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England. Although Pant showed grit in batting with an injury, doctors confirmed that he would miss the fifth Test and will be out for six weeks.

This means Pant will miss the Asia Cup and the home series against West Indies in October.
In Pant’s absence, Sanju Samson is expected to be India’s first-choice glove-man and it is expected to retain Dhruv Jurel over Ishan Kishan, who showed plenty of promise early in IPL 2025 and then fell away.

KL Rahul’s Long T20I Break Goes On

KL Rahul, once a key player of India’s T20I team, has not played since the 2022 T20 World Cup and didn’t get picked for the 2024 edition also. Even with 2265 runs in 72 T20Is, it looks like the selectors favor new, bold batters for the shortest version of this game.

Rahul still shines in Tests and ODIs, yet his miss from the Asia Cup 2025 adds more worry about if he will come back to T20I cricket.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is out with a knee injury.

Reddy, who played well in his first T20I series against Zimbabwe earlier this year, is now sidelined. He’s become a regular in India’s Test team, but he wasn’t picked for the South Zone team in the Duleep Trophy, meaning he’s probably not ready to play yet.

This injury is hitting him at a bad time and could mean he misses out on a spot in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 squad.

Asia Cup 2025 Key Dates to Remember

• Tournament Start: September 9, 2025
• India vs Pakistan: September 14, 2025
• Final: September 28, 2025
• Format: T20
• Venue: UAE

Missing three pivotal players before a major event is certainly a challenging situation. The India vs Pakistan game will still be a major draw, but without Pant’s explosive batting, Rahul’s experience and Reddy’s all-round abilities, India’s plans may
have to change.

This does provide opportunities for new and developing talent to light up the Asia Cup 2025 stage.
The Asia Cup 2025 could end up being a test of India’s bench strength before future ICC tournaments.