Suryakumar Yadav’s India will lock horns with Salman Agha’s Pakistan in the second game of the Super 4 round in the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE. In the group stage, India were unbeaten, and Pakistan’s only loss came against the Men in Blue. Amid the excitement, there has been misinformation circulating on social media claiming that Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam is currently traveling to Dubai to join the Pakistan cricket team for the Asia Cup 2025. However, this is far from the truth and is based on an old photo that has been misleadingly shared.
Babar Azam has been officially left out of Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the 17-member squad earlier in August 2025, and notably, neither Babar Azam nor Mohammad Rizwan were part of the team. Salman Ali Agha was named the captain, taking charge of a relatively young squad built around emerging talent. This decision came after a period of poor form by Babar Azam in T20 internationals, leading to his exclusion from the limited-overs setup.
BREAKING NEWS
Babar Azam is currently travelling to Dubai to join the Pakistan cricket team. pic.twitter.com/NoZ4MHKJuo
— Ahtasham Riaz (@ahtashamriaz22) September 20, 2025
Viral Image
The viral image claiming that Babar Azam is en route to Dubai is in fact an old photograph that has resurfaced but does not reflect current realities. According to credible sources and journalists covering Pakistan cricket, Babar Azam remains in Lahore where he is focused on training with the red-ball squad. He is not traveling to Dubai, nor has he been named in the Asia Cup playing or reserve squads.
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No Comeback
Despite Pakistan’s struggles in the tournament thus far, the board has confirmed no immediate comeback for Babar Azam in the Asia Cup squad. Reports suggest he may be considered for upcoming series such as the T20 games against South Africa if he improves his form and strike rate. But as of now, any claim of his involvement in the ongoing Asia Cup matches is incorrect.
Meanwhile, the India-Pakistan Super Four clash promises to be intense. India look to bring back rested stars Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, bolstering their bowling attack after a strong unbeaten run in the group stage. Pakistan, having relied on spin heavily against UAE, have reintroduced Haris Rauf to add pace and balance.
India Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf.
In conclusion, supporters should rely on official announcements and verified news rather than viral posts. Babar Azam’s absence from the Asia Cup 2025 squad is confirmed, and any images suggesting otherwise are outdated and misleading