Asia Cup 2025: Why is Arshdeep Singh not playing the India vs UAE match?
The wait is finally over as the Men in Blue return to action after an extended hiatus. Breaking a streak of over 15 matches, Team India finally won a toss, with Suryakumar Yadav opting to bowl first in the clash against the UAE. In a surprising move, the No.1 T20I side has chosen to field just a single specialist pacer in their attack for their Asia Cup 2025 campaign opener. Jasprit Bumrah features in the India Playing XI, while Arshdeep Singh misses out. Bumrah will be supported in the pace department by all-rounder Hardik Pandya and possibly Shivam Dube in Dubai.
#TeamIndia's Playing XI for #INDvUAE 🙌
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 10, 2025
Who will get the first breakthrough for us? 🤔
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Luckily, the absence of Arshdeep Singh from the India Playing XI for the Asia Cup opener has nothing to do with injury concerns. The Men in Blue have simply opted for a spin-heavy attack against the UAE at the Dubai International Stadium. The combination features Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, with Jasprit Bumrah as the lone specialist pacer. Ironically, the management has chosen to drop their leading wicket-taker in the format for this match, leaving Arshdeep out.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has secured a spot in the India Playing XI for the campaign opener against the UAE. The wicketkeeper has edged out Jitesh Sharma in the race to join the starting lineup. However, Samson’s inclusion in the XI has almost certainly come at the cost of him losing his opening spot. In all likelihood, Shubman Gill, the designated vice-captain, will open alongside Abhishek Sharma, with Samson slotted at No. 5 behind Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav.
India Playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025 campaign opener
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
UAE Playing XI
Muhammad Waseem(c), Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra(w), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh
