6-time champions Sri Lanka are set to begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign when they face off against a confident Bangladesh side at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It’s Match 5 of the tournament and is a Group B clash which promises to be of epic proportions. Sri Lanka led by Charith Asalanka comes into this tournament fresh of a 2-1 series win in Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club. Since, they played till 7th, their first game has been scheduled on 13th September.
Their opponents Bangladesh have already played a game where the Litton Das-led side easily got the better of Hong Kong to make a confident start to their campaign. Things will only get tougher and trickier for all concerned with this Group being the Group of Death and Net Run Rate could come into play. Every game will be vital from hereon and finally, we can expect a battle of equals and hopefully a close game as the Asia Cup is in need of one close game.
Overview
We have had four one-sided games in the Asia Cup 2025 and finally later tonight we might see a closely contested match as two Test-playing nations square off at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka who are the second-most successful team in Asia Cup history will lock horns with Bangladesh who are on a high after winning three of the last 4 T20Is. This is a crucial Group B fixture.
Bangladesh have already played a game and sit currently in second place on the points table, behind Afghanistan due to an inferior Net Run Rate. Both teams have defeated Hong Kong in their only match of the tournament so far. Sri Lanka will begin their campaign and they will be boosted by the return of star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who has missed a lot of cricket due to a hamstring injury.
The Charith Asalanka-led unit recently defeated Zimbabwe in what was a closely contested series and will head into this game as slight favourites. In fact, many expect them to top the group, with the other teams being Afghanistan and Hong Kong. But things will be far from straightforward as it sounds.
Pathum Nissanka has been in great touch and will be once again keen to give Sri Lanka a solid start at the top of the order. The bowlers, however, haven’t quite clicked in unison. While Sri Lanka may not be in their best form in recent times, taking them lightly in a multi-team tournament is a mistake no team can afford to make.
Kamindu Mendis is a world-class all-rounder who can change the course of a game in the blink of an eye. Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne add valuable experience to the middle order with their all-round prowess. Sri Lanka have made a late addition to their squad by adding batting all-rounder Janith Liyanage in the mix.
As far as Bangladesh is concerned, we can expect the same XI to take the field that got the better of Hong Kong barring any last minute injuries. Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Rishad Hossain picked up two wickets each to restrict Hong Kong to 143/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan Tamim gave the team a steady start before the former fell. Captain Litton Das anchored the run-chase and guided it through with a fine half-century and he received solid support from Towhid Hridoy, who spent time in the middle remaining unbeaten on 35 off 36 balls as Bangladesh got over the line with 14 balls to spare.
The stage is set for what promises to be an epic battle between the two teams. The teams are evenly matched and it remains to be seen which team comes out on top in this fixture. Remember, Bangladesh under Litton Das went to Sri Lanka earlier this year and beat them 2-1 coming back from 1-0 down in the series. Which way is it going to go tonight? Only time will tell.
Head-To-Head
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have played against each other on 20 occasions with Sri Lanka winning 12 of them and Bangladesh winning the remaining 8. The last 10 meetings though it is locked at 5-5 between the two teams. In Asia Cup history across both ODIS and T20Is, the two teams have met on 17 occasions with Sri Lanka coming out on top on 14 occasions and Bangladesh winning 3 of them.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi has thus far been dry with the cracks opening up on the pitch where the Afghanistan vs Hong Kong and Bangladesh vs Hong Kong matches were played. On both occasions, Hong Kong failed to challenge the oppositions, making the toss irrelevant on this surface till now. It hasn’t been a batters’ paradise but the surface didn’t help the bowlers either, keeping the balance.
A score of around 160-165 will be competitive on this pitch. The team winning the toss between these two sides will definitely opt to chase here. The weather in Abu Dhabi is expected to be around 34 degrees Celsius during the start of the match as per Accu Weather. Although the temperature will be at its lowest during the match, excessive heat and dry weather continue to challenge the players. There is absolutely no chance of rain in Abu Dhabi during the match.
Predicted XIs of both sides
Here we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides.
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c&wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
Key Players to Watch Out For In This Clash:
Pathum Nissanka: The ever-consistent performer for Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka will once again be the key for Sri Lanka to get a good start. He has been in terrific touch in all formats of the game and would like to carry it on in this sub-continental tournament. Sri Lanka relies very heavily on Nissanka to do well and give them a decent start. Whenever he has failed, the team struggled to get a good start. So, it is imperative that he hits the ground running from the word go.
Wanindu Hasaranga: Making a comeback to the Sri Lankan side after a long lay-off due to hamstring injury, Wanindu Hasaranga is a talisman for Sri Lanka in the white-ball format especially in T20Is. How he goes about his business will be key to watch from Sri Lanka’s point of view. He has been a great performer for them with the bat and then with the ball as well. His primary role is with the ball, but if needed can strike it big and add crucial runs to the side down the order. So, he will be in focus in this match.
Litton Das: The Bangladesh captain led from the front in the opening game as he guided the chase through and got them the win. Bangladesh are very dependent on their captain to perform day in and day out. They have explosive players at the top but the whole batting revolves around Litton Das. He will be expected at Number 3 to do the heavy lifting and perform for his side under pressure. If he misses out, Bangladesh may struggle in this game.
Mustafizur Rahman: The Fizz as he is fondly called, Mustafizur is a key prominent figure for Bangladesh. He had a rare day where he went wicketless against Hong Kong, but he is a quality player and knows how to bounce back. His bowling at the death overs will be crucial in containing the runs of Sri Lanka. If he does well and execute his yorkers and variations to perfection, then he will be a handful for the Lankans. His form and performance will be crucial for Bangladesh.
Key Stats and Trivia to look forward to for us:
- Pathum Nissanka needs 50 more runs to complete a tally of 2000 in T20Is. He has played only 67 innings, which means he has eight innings in which to get those 50 runs and become the fastest Sri Lanka men’s batter to the milestone. Kusal Perera got there in his 76th innings.
- Litton Das has not been dismissed for less than 50 in his last four T20I innings, making 54*, 18*, 73, and 59, against Netherlands and Hong Kong respectively.
- In Asia Cups T20 edition, the teams’ head-to-head record is even at 1-1. Bangladesh won the first T20I Asia Cup match between them in Mirpur in 2016 while Sri Lanka won the next one in Dubai in 2022.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match.
The stage is set for an epic battle to take place in Abu Dhabi later tonight. After 4 one-sided games, we may get to see a thriller tonight. It is the battle of equals and anyone can beat anyone on the given day. The pedigree of the team favours Sri Lanka as on paper they look slightly better balanced than Bangladesh. But Bangladesh have recent form with them including a series win in Sri Lanka.
It is very tough to call an outright winner here. We feel whoever chases may have an advantage of winning as both these two sides love to chase than batting first. Looking at form and recent track record, Bangladesh has the edge but on paper maybe Sri Lanka are better-placed. So, tough to call it at this stage but cricket should be the winner and if we get a thriller tonight, it is nothing like it and it will be the ideal thing for Asia Cup 2025 to spice up and create a buzz.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Registers A Commanding Win Over Oman