India and Pakistan are set to clash in the Asia Cup 2025 final on Sunday, September 28, at the Dubai International Stadium. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, enters the match as the favourite, having defeated Pakistan twice in the tournament already. Despite the high stakes, no officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be present at the match.

The BCCI had previously decided against attending the group stage and Super 4 matches between the two teams, influenced by public sentiment and calls for a boycott. On the same day as the final, the BCCI held its Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, where Mithun Manhas was appointed as the new board president, succeeding Roger Binny. Other officials, including board secretary Devajit Saikia and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, attended the meeting but chose to remain in India instead of flying to Dubai for the final.

Rajeev Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, will also not be attending. Meanwhile, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board, is already in Dubai and will present the trophy to the winners.

As the match approaches, cricket fans across India are engaging in rituals to pray for India's victory. In various cities, devotees have been performing aarti and havan, holding posters of Indian players like Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill. In Patna, fans conducted a havan at a Shiv temple, while others in Kanpur performed pooja for the team's success.

Abhishek Sharma has been a standout player for India, scoring 309 runs in the tournament, and is close to breaking Virat Kohli's record for the most runs in a multi-nation T20I tournament. Historically, India has a strong record against Pakistan in T20 Internationals, winning 11 out of 15 encounters. The final marks the first time in 41 years that these two teams will meet in an Asia Cup final, adding to the excitement of this much-anticipated match.