"Nagin, Nagin!" shouted some fans at Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga from the gallery of the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The leg-spin bowling all-rounder didn't notice the chants at first, when he did, he responded with a faint smile.

Bangladesh captain Litton Das was glad to begin the team’s campaign in the Asia Cup with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in their Group B match in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain became the sixth Bangladeshi bowler to get 50 wickets in T20Is during the Tigers’ first match in the Asia Cup, against Hong Kong, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.   

Skipper Litton Das notched up his 15th T20I half-century to guide the Tigers to a convincing seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. 

During Bangladesh’s two practice sessions in Abu Dhabi ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 opener against Hong Kong today, the focus was noticeably on big-hitting. That’s hardly unusual ahead of a T20 tournament.

Wasim Akram, who coached Kuldeep during his early days with Kolkata Knight Riders, said his hunger set him apart.

Bangladesh are set to begin their Asia Cup campaign against Associate Nation Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi today. The Litton Das-led side enter the continental tournament on the back of a decent run of form, but even during Tuesday’s practice session, some familiar issues resurfaced.

As the Asia Cup 2025 begins, the hope is that the on-field battles overshadow off-field concerns, delivering a tournament rich with exciting cricket while overcoming visible fatigue and political tension.

The match will start at 8.30pm Bangladesh Time.

Rival captains Salman Agha and Suryakumar Yadav vowed to keep controlled aggression when Pakistan and India clash in the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, the countries' first match since their conflict in May.

Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup on Tuesday.

On the surface, Bangladesh carry momentum into the Asia Cup in UAE.

Skippers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE and Hong Kong stood together with the glittering prize.

The weight of captaincy in any sport compounds exponentially under the bright lights of a major tournament. On top of that, if the captain has not experienced the pressure of leading in that event before, it should put them at an even bigger disadvantage.

For years, the Tigers' T20 story has been one of cautious cricket and squandered chances.

Cricket in the UAE remains largely confined to the South Asian expatriate community, and expecting a carnival-like setting may be asking too much.

The ACC Men’s Asia Cup -- a tournament that has been running since 1984 -- has so far witnessed 16 editions in which eight different nations have participated, three different teams have lifted the trophy, and only one country has participated in every iteration.

Asia Cup 2025 kicks off on September 9 in the UAE, returning in the T20 format for the first time since 2022.

A blockbuster between India and Pakistan headlines the Asia Cup starting on Tuesday as they face off for the first time in cricket since the military conflict in May.

The tournament will run from September 9–28.