By: Mohak Hora, Parimatch Sports Analytics Expert

Asia’s best players are in action for shortest format of the game.

And the anticipation is almost double, as the 2025 Asia Cup has entered its second week, and the fans in the United Arab Emirates and across the world have been treated to top-notch quality of cricket. While India and Sri Lanka have dominated their respective groups so far, the remaining teams, except Oman, are still in contention to qualify for the playoffs.

With the Indian subcontinent featuring the five giants of international cricket, along with the rise of Oman, the UAE, and Hong Kong, China, the fans would get to see their favorite stars in action during the next two weeks. Let’s have a look at the top five stars who will be headlining the 2025 Asia Cup, either with the bat or the ball in hand:

#5 Tilak Varma (India)

Tilak Varma is India’s bona fide No.4 batter as the Mumbai Indians stalwart has forced the selectors to pick him ahead of serious talents like Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar, who had very impressive Indian Premier League campaigns in 2025.

After the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20Is, Gautam Gambhir had the unenviable task of replacing the two giants of modern cricket by blooding in youngsters. Gambhir found the perfect specimen in Tilak, who has scored 780 runs in 25 T20I innings at an average of 48.75 while maintaining a healthy strike rate of 151.75.

While the World No.2-ranked batter in T20Is didn’t get to showcase his skills against the UAE as India wrapped up a 9-wicket win inside 4.3 overs, the Hyderabad captain scored 31 runs off 31 balls against Pakistan, skillfully anchoring the run-chase as India won against their arch-rivals with 25 balls remaining in the bag.

#4 Kamil Mishara (Sri Lanka)

 Kamil Mishara is being hailed as a gem unearthed by Sri Lanka Cricket

While the Lankan Lions haven’t been in the best of form in the shortest format of the game, the Sanath Jayasuriya-coached side has unearthed a gem in the form of Kamil Mishara. The 24-year old has already shown his potential against the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and the ongoing tournament will allow him to showcase his mettle against tougher opposition teams.

In Sri Lanka’s tournament opener against Bangladesh, the Lankan Lions had to chase a target of 140 runs courtesy of a sixth-wicket stand between Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain. Pathum Nissanka gave the perfect start to Sri Lanka’s innings with a 34-ball half-century, but Mishara’s unbeaten innings of 46 runs off 32 balls helped him bag the Player of the Match award.

In the next fixture against Hong Kong, China, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis early, and Mishara contributed 19 runs to the team’s total before getting caught at deep mid-wicket. In the end, Mishara’s innings of 19 runs off 18 balls turned out to be pivotal as the Lankan Lions survived a middle-order collapse with Wanindu Hasaranga powering his side over the line.

#3 Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Rashid Khan would be hungrier than ever when he takes the field in the 2025 Asia Cup after featuring in the semi-final of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals. Rashid and his men couldn’t give their best in the semi-final, but the Afghans would be upbeat after achieving the momentous feat in an ICC multi-lateral tournament.

The Afghanistan skipper rotated his bowlers well against Hong Kong, China, ensuring that no big partnership was built by the opposing team. Rashid himself picked a wicket and kept his economy rate in check by conceding only 24 runs in his quota of four overs. 

After the batters’ early exploits in the first innings, Rashid could only bat for one ball, and fans would be hoping that the skipper comes out to bat ahead of Karim Janat in the upcoming fixtures.

The wrist-spinner has taken 171 wickets in 101 T20Is at an astonishing average of 13.8, while keeping his economy rate at 6.12 as most teams often try to bat out his overs and attack other bowlers in the Afghan bowling attack.

#2 Saim Ayub (Pakistan)

Pakistan is undergoing a revamp in the shortest format of the game as talents like Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Saim Ayub are replacing the more experienced players in search of flamboyance and a modern approach to playing T20 cricket.

Ayub is a generational talent as the Karachi-born all-rounder opens the innings and displays his swashbuckling strokes, andthen comes in to open the bowling as well with his right-arm off-break bowling.

Ayub often bowls in the powerplay, and his T20I record is impressive as he has taken 13 wickets in 43 overs at an average of 23.69. With the 23-year old all-rounder contributing in both crucial aspects of the game, the Shaheens would be banking on the young starlet in the absence of experienced players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

In the tournament opener for Pakistan, Ayub dismissed Aamir Kaleem and Oman skipper Jatinder Singh to break the back of the Oman batting order. The spinner followed it up with another impressive spell against India, where he dismissed the world’s No.1-ranked Abhishek Sharma, the world’s No.2-ranked T20I batter Varma, and Indian vice-captain ShubmanGill.

#1 Kuldeep Yadav (India)

 Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as a lethal option for India in white-ball cricket

When Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi were pairing up to tear the opposing sides in the last one year, nobody expected Kuldeep Yadav to come back in and feature as India’s premier spin bowler in T20Is.

After sitting on the bench for the entirety of the England tour as India fought back to level the 5-match Test series 2-2 on the last day of the series, Kuldeep has returned to the field with a newly found vigour.

The left-arm chinaman bowler bamboozled the UAE with a spell of 4/7 in only 2.1 overs which included wickets of skipper Muhammad Waseem and Rahul Chopra among others. After winning the Player of the Match against the UAE, Kuldeep bagged his second Player of the Match award of the tournament against Pakistan.

After Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah made inroads into the Pakistan batting line-up by scalping wickets inside the powerplay, Axar Patel picked two more wickets to derail their batting depth. Kuldeep then dismissed Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, and also sent the dangerous Sahibzada Farhan back to the pavilion, ending with figures of 3/18 in his quota of four overs.