At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday, India crushed Bangladesh by 41 runs to advance to the Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy were outstanding with the ball, taking five wickets between them.

Sri Lanka is eliminated from the continental tournament as a result of India’s victory. The second finalist will be determined on Thursday by a virtual knockout match between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

After being dropped three times, twice in an over by Varun Chakravarthy, Bangladesh’s lone warrior, opener Saif Hassan, top-scored with 69. Axar Patel dropped him as he was playing on the ground in the 1940s.

After receiving a second lifeline from Shivam Dubey in the deep square leg, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson then grassed a catch on his own call in Chakravarthy’s subsequent over.

The two batsmen established a 42-run partnership for the second wicket, with Hassan scoring 21 and Parvez Hossain Emon scoring 21 as well.

The Indian spinners dominated the middle overs, and other from these two, none of the Bangladeshi batters appeared to be in contact. Together, Kuldeep 3-18 and Chakravarthy 2-29 eliminated half of the Bangladeshi team. After being costly in the previous game against Pakistan, Jasprit Bumrah returned and claimed 2-18 in his four overs.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma ignited India’s batting attack against Bangladesh with a scorching performance, scoring 75 off just 37 balls to help the side reach 168/6 in 20 overs.

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In addition to giving India a strong start, the left-hander’s assault broke the record held by his guru Yuvraj Singh for the most T20I innings by an Indian player with five or more sixes.

Abhishek now has six of these knocks, second only to Suryakumar Yadav (9 and Rohit Sharma 13). In the 2025 edition, he smashed 17 sixes, the highest ever in a single event across all formats, setting a new Asia Cup record.

“I have, of course, performed my duties for the squad. As I mentioned earlier, I usually follow the crowd. Even if it’s the first ball of my innings, I’ll go for it if it’s in my arc. After winning Player of the Match (POTM), Abhishek stated, “I try to get the Power-play for my team.”

India came out fire in the powerplay after stand-in Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali won the toss and was put into bat. Before Abhishek changed tactics and punished anything loose, Shubman Gill started working early. When Jaker Ali missed a chance, he had a lucky break, but he made Bangladesh pay handsomely. The Indian openers took full grip of the game as they sped to 72/0 in just six overs.

However, Bangladesh recovered admirably following the Power-play. Just after the fielding limitations ended, Rishad Hossain gave the breakthrough, and Shubman Gill fell for 29 off 19.

Jaker Ali, the captain of Bangladesh, gave his bowlers appreciation. It’s really unexpected, but the boys deserve all the praise because they bowled incredibly well and adjusted well after ten overs. There are several benefits to this game. Tomorrow, we have another game. We must remember that we are capable of winning and making it to the final. Let’s see what I can discuss with management. Tomorrow, we’ll choose the mix and then give it our all,” he stated.

Shivam Dube was sent at number three by India as a surprise attempt to counter the spinners, but the gambit backfired as he left for just two. After that, Suryakumar Yadav joined Abhishek, and before a turning point, the two of them scored a quick 29 off 13 balls. India’s attack was stopped by Rishad Hossain’s outstanding fielding, which saw him run out Abhishek for a thrilling 75.

After that, the innings became unfocused. Tilak Varma barely managed five, while Suryakumar Yadav lost his timing and fell for five off eleven. India reached 165 thanks to Hardik Pandya’s steady 38, but Axar Patel found it difficult to gain momentum at the other end and ended up undefeated on 10 off 15.

Even though they got off to a fast start, India was only able to reach 168/6 from 20 overs, with just 70 runs coming in the last ten. Bangladesh’s most impressive bowler was Rishad Hossain, who claimed 2/27 in addition to his crucial run-out.

Brief scores:

India 168/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 75, Hardik Pandya 38; Rishad Hossain 2-27, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-29)
Bangladesh 127 all out in 19.3 overs (Saif Hassan 69, Parvez Hossain Emon 21; Kuldeep Yadav 3-18, Varun Chakravarthy 2-29)