Rasooli to lead Afghanistan in Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 Defense

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the national squad for the upcoming Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to take place from November 14 to 23 in Doha, Qatar.

The defending champions, AfghanAbdalyan, will once again be led by Darwish Rasooli, who captained the side to their maiden title in the previous edition of the tournament.

The 15-member squad includes 10 players from last year’s victorious campaign, underlining the selectors’ faith in the core group that delivered Afghanistan its first Rising Stars Asia Cup title. Among the retained names are Sediqullah Atal, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zubaid Akbari, Mohammad Ishaq, Qais Ahmad, and Nangyal Kharoti.

Promising young pacer Abdullah Ahmadzai, who recently made his T20I debut in the home series against Zimbabwe, has earned a place in the side following impressive performances at the international level.

Announcing the squad, ACB CEO Naseeb Khan expressed confidence in the team’s ability to replicate last year’s success.

“AfghanAbdalyan have emerged victorious in the previous edition of the event and will be defending their title during this year’s event in Doha,” Khan said. “We cherish the memories from last year, and with the aim of retaining the title, we have named our squad. I am confident the team will perform well and bring pride to the nation once again.”

AfghanAbdalyan have been placed in Pool B alongside Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, and Hong Kong, China.
They will open their campaign against Sri Lanka A on November 15, followed by fixtures against Bangladesh A on November 17 and Hong Kong, China on November 19. The semi-finals and final are scheduled for November 21 and November 23, respectively, in Doha.

Afghanistan Squad

Darwish Rasooli (C), Sediqullah Atal (VC), Noor Rahman (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Zubaid Akbari, Imran Mir, Rahmanullah Zadran, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai.
Reserves: Wafiullah Tarakhil, Sediqullah Pacha, Yama Arab.