Doha, Qatar: Eight teams will compete for the men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars title in Doha from November 19 to 29.
The Qatar Cricket Association will organise the tournament under the supervision of the Asian Cricket Council, with matches to be played at West End International Cricket Stadium and the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST).
Pakistan Shaheens, India A, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates are drawn in Group A, while Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong, China will compete in Group B.
Each team will face the other three in its group once, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. Nepal and the UAE secured their places through the ACC Men’s Elite Cup, held in Malaysia in August and September.
The tournament will open on November 19, with Bangladesh A taking on Hong Kong, China at UDST and Sri Lanka A facing Afghanistan A at West End.
On November 20, Pakistan Shaheens will meet the UAE, while India A take on Nepal. Sri Lanka A will face Hong Kong, China and Bangladesh A will meet Afghanistan A on November 21. Pakistan Shaheens and India A will clash at West End on November 22 in one of the most anticipated matches of the group stage. The UAE and Nepal will meet at UDST on the same day.
On November 23, Afghanistan A will face Hong Kong, China, while Sri Lanka A take on Bangladesh A. The group stage will conclude on November 24, with India A playing the UAE and Pakistan Shaheens meeting Nepal.
West End will host both semi-finals on November 26 and 27. The Group A winners will face the Group B runners-up in the first semi-final, while the Group B winners will meet the Group A runners-up in the second.
The two winners will return to West End for the final on November 29.
