Naqvi-led ACC eyes new tournaments to promote sport in region

DUBAI: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), under the presidency of Mohsin Naqvi, is planning to introduce new tournaments to further increase the sport’s reach in the region.

According to the details, a special meeting, presided over by Naqvi, was held at the ACC headquarters here to analyse the preparations and arrangements in place for the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 and U19 Premier Asia Cup.

Previously known as the Emerging Asia Cup, the Rising Stars tournament will feature teams from eight countries – Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Hong Kong.

Notably, the Test-playing nations – Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – will send their A teams for the continental tournament, while UAE, Hong Kong and Oman will field their full-strength sides. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with Pakistan, India, UAE and Oman placed in Group A, while Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong, similar to that of the senior men’s tournament, played last month. The ACC further expressed satisfaction over the viewership and the number of fans who attended the Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in September.

During the meeting, the future tournaments of the ACC were also reviewed in detail. Notably, the council aims to hold a league among its associate members, while further new tournaments, including the Legends of Asia Cup, were also considered. As a result, the ACC President sought final plans for the new tournaments, while it was mutually agreed to hold more women’s cricket matches amongst its members. “We want to promote the game of cricket to as many countries in Asia as possible,” said Naqvi. “We will support Asian countries in every way to promote cricket.”  Monitoring Desk