India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets, lift Asia Cup trophy for record 9th time
This was the first time India and Pakistan clashed in the final of Asia Cup's 41 years history
 "India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets, lift Asia Cup trophy for record 9th time")
Riding on Tilak Varma's incredible half-century, fancied India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the summit showdown to win their second Asia Cup title in the T20 format (9th overall) at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
India bowled out Pakistan for a modest 146 and then chased down the target of 147 with two balls remaining.
Varma smashed an unbeaten 69 in 53 balls, while Shivam Dube contributed a breezy 22-ball 33 during a vital 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav was the star of the show with excellent figures of 4/30 in four overs, while fellow spinners Varun Chakaravarthy (2/30), Axar Patel (2/26) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/25) were also among the wickets after India opted to bowl first.
Sent in, Pakistan were well-served by the opening duo of Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls), who stitched together 84 runs in under 10 overs to lay the foundation for a big total.
However, the Indian spin trio of Varun, Kuldeep and Axar suddenly picked up a few wickets to quickly tighten the screws on Pakistan, who lost their last nine wickets for just 33 runs.
This was India's third victory over Pakistan in this edition of the continental event after winning in the league and Super 4s stages.
| India Inning | ||||||
| 150-5 (19.4 ov) CRR:7.63 | ||||||
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Abhishek Sharma | c H Rauf b F Ashraf | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Shubman Gill | c H Rauf b F Ashraf | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 120 |
| Surya Kumar Yadav (C) | c A Salman b S Afridi | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| N. Tilak Varma | Not out | 69 | 53 | 3 | 4 | 130.19 |
| Sanju Samson (WK) | c Sahibzada Farhan b A Ahmed | 24 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 114.29 |
| Shivam Dube | c S Afridi b F Ashraf | 33 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 150 |
| Rinku Singh | Not out | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 400 |
| Extras | 2 (b 0, Ib 0, w 2, nb 0, p 0) | |||||
| Total | 150 (5 wkts, 19.4 Ov) | |||||
| Yet to Bat | Axar Patel,Kuldeep Yadav,Jasprit Bumrah,Varun Chakaravarthy | |||||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | ECO |
| Shaheen Afridi | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Faheem Ashraf | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 7.25 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Haris Rauf | 3.4 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 13.64 |
| Abrar Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Saim Ayub | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 5.33 |
| Pakistan Inning | ||||||
| 146-10 (19.1 ov) CRR:7.62 | ||||||
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Sahibzada Farhan | c TL Varma b V Chakaravarthy | 57 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 150 |
| Fakhar Zaman | c K Yadav b V Chakaravarthy | 46 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 131.43 |
| Saim Ayub | c J Bumrah b K Yadav | 14 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 127.27 |
| Mohammad Haris (WK) | c R Singh b A Patel | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Agha Salman (C) | c S Samson b K Yadav | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 114.29 |
| Hussain Talat | c S Samson b A Patel | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | c R Singh b J Bumrah | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Shaheen Afridi | lbw b K Yadav | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Faheem Ashraf | c TL Varma b K Yadav | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Haris Rauf | b J Bumrah | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150 |
| Abrar Ahmed | Not out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Extras | 7 (b 1, Ib 2, w 4, nb 0, p 0) | |||||
| Total | 146 (10 wkts, 19.1 Ov) | |||||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | ECO |
| Shivam Dube | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 7.67 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 3.1 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 7.89 |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 7.5 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 6.5 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 7.5 |
| N. Tilak Varma | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
India has been the most dominant force in Asia Cup history, securing a record nine championships. The team lifted the trophy in the years 1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2023 and most recently in 2025, when they defeated Pakistan in the final.
Sri Lanka closely follows with six titles, earned in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, and 2022. Pakistan has been crowned champions twice, in 2000 and 2012.
Despite putting up strong performances over the years, other participants like Bangladesh and Afghanistan are still in pursuit of their maiden title.
| Asia Cup winners and runner-ups list | |||||
| Edition | Year | Winner | Won by | Runner-up | Host |
| 1st | 1984 | India | N/A | Sri Lanka | UAE |
| 2nd | 1986 | Sri Lanka | 5 wickets | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 3rd | 1988 | India | 6 wickets | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 4th | 1990-91 | India | 7 wickets | Sri Lanka | India |
| 5th | 1995 | India | 8 wickets | Sri Lanka | UAE |
| 6th | 1997 | Sri Lanka | 8 wickets | India | Sri Lanka |
| 7th | 2000 | Pakistan | 39 runs | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 8th | 2004 | Sri Lanka | 25 runs | India | Sri Lanka |
| 9th | 2008 | Sri Lanka | 100 runs | India | Pakistan |
| 10th | 2010 | India | 81 runs | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka |
| 11th | 2012 | Pakistan | 2 runs | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 12th | 2014 | Sri Lanka | 5 wickets | Pakistan | Bangladesh |
| 13th | 2016 | India | 8 wickets | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 14th | 2018 | India | 3 wickets | Bangladesh | UAE |
| 15th | 2022 | Sri Lanka | 23 runs | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 16th | 2023 | India | 10 wickets | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka/Pakistan |
| 17th | 2025 | India | Pakistan | UAE | |
An Asia Cup filled with controversies
While the tournament was expected to garner attention because of India and Pakistan rivalry that got heated up after the Pahalgam Terror attacks, both sides faced each twice leading upto the final with both ties filled with heated moments, controversies and Pakistan threatening to boycott the tournament in between as well.