Why an India vs Pakistan final has never happened in the Asia Cup

NEW DELHI: The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry remains one of the fiercest and most storied rivalries in world sport. Every encounter between the two subcontinental giants carries a weight of history, emotion, and expectation, drawing millions of viewers from across the globe. The upcoming clash between the two sides at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on September 14 has already set pulses racing.India have traditionally held the upper hand in high-stakes meetings, particularly in ICC tournaments. Their record speaks volumes — 15 wins in 16 matches against Pakistan in ICC World Cups, which includes an 8-0 clean sweep in ODI World Cups and a 7-1 head-to-head lead in T20 World Cups. This dominance has also extended to the Asia Cup, where India have consistently had the edge over their arch-rivals.Since the tournament’s inception in 1984, India and Pakistan have featured in 15 of the 16 editions and have clashed 18 times across both ODI and T20 formats. Most Asia Cup Title Wins:Interestingly, despite their rich rivalry, the two sides have never faced each other in an Asia Cup final. Their battles have mostly come in the group stages or Super Four rounds, often with qualification scenarios adding extra tension.Looking purely at numbers, India lead the head-to-head record in the Asia Cup with 10 wins, while Pakistan have managed six victories. Two matches have ended without a result. In the T20 format of the Asia Cup, the sides have met thrice, with India winning twice and Pakistan once. In ODIs, they have met 15 times, with India winning eight, Pakistan five, and two matches producing no result.India will enter this edition with not just history but recent form on their side. Over the past five years (September 2020 to September 2025), the two teams have played each other in five T20 Internationals, with India edging the head-to-head 3-2. This recent success gives them added confidence as they aim to continue their dominance in the shortest format.India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh. Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.