The most anticipated Asia Cup 2025 is here, where eight teams will be battling it out for the prestigious trophy. The first match of the tournament will see Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 9th September. Afghanistan Afghanistan have been doing well in the T20I cricket lately, they were having a phenomenal winning streak before losing out to Pakistan in the finals of the UAE Tri-Series on Sunday. Afghanistan were bowled out for just 66 runs while chasing a total of 142 runs. This was just the second loss for Rashid Khan's side in their last five outings in this format. They have a formidable squad available for the Asia Cup, where the batting lineup includes the likes of Darwish Rasooli, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, and Ibrahim Zadran. They also have a strong trio of all-rounder, including Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai. Their bowling lineup has always been a spin-heavy attack, which includes Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmed. Hong Kong Hong Kong, on the other hand, are set for its fifth Asia Cup appearance. The 2022 edition of this tournament was the last time when Hong Kong was featured; now, they are set to return after a three-year gap. Previously, Hong Kong made some noticeable gains in the shortest format recently, especially in the Asia Pacific Champions Trophy tournament. The team registered four wins in six games in that tournament and also got a chance to feature in the final, where they lost to Malaysia by 10 wickets. The team is filled with young guns and is desperate to make it big this time in such a big event. Yasim Murtaza will lead the side in the tournament. AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Match Details AFG vs HKG Match Details Match Afghanistan vs Hong Kong 1st T20I Match Date and Time Tuesday, September 9; 8:00 p.m. IST Venue Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Broadcasting and live streaming TV - Sony Sports Network, Live Stream - SonyLIV (app and website) AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Pitch Report The venue at the Zayed Cricket Stadium is mostly a tricky surface, which is generally not a high-scoring ground. The bounce of the pitch tends to be on the lower side. As a result, the batters have to remain focused and work hard to pick up the good length deliveries. Moreover, batting under the lights remains a major factor here, where batters in the second innings face major issues, and it remains a tough task. In addition, the average first innings score averages between 140 and 150, which is generally an under-par total. However, as the game progresses, off-spinners and medium pacers will get some help. AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Weather Report The weather is expected to remain clear throughout the entire match, with no rain predicted. The conditions are expected to be humid with 50-60% humidity. The maximum temperature will be around 32-36 °C. AFG vs HKG Head-to-Head Records AFG vs HKG head-to-head (in T20Is) Match Played 5 Won by Afghanistan 3 Won by Hong Kong 2 Tied 0 No Result 0 AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Probable XI Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), AM Ghazanfar, Naveen ul Haq/Noor Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi Hong Kong: Kinchit Shah, Anshuman Rath, Zeeshan Ali (wk), Yasim Murtaza (c), Aizaz Khan, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Nasrulla Rana, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Ayush Shukla Players To Watch Out For In AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Match Ibrahim Zadran | AFG: The 23-year-old opening batter has been the best batter for the Afghanistan team in the recently concluded UAE Tri-Series, where he amassed 194 runs in just 5 matches at an average of 38.80, including two half-centuries. He is one such batter who takes his time to settle at the crease but goes big after getting some runs. Babar Hayat | HKG: Babar Hayat is one of the veteran batters for this Hong Kong team. He has featured in 95 T20Is in his T20I career, where he has scored 2216 runs, including two centuries and 12 half-centuries. He is one batter to look out for in this match. AFG vs HKG 1st T20I Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last three T20 matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bowl on three occasions. Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch The team batting first at this venue has won 29 out of the total 68 matches played here, while the teams batting second have won 39. This makes it clear that the team winning the toss should opt to bowl first and try to restrict the opponents under the par score. AFG vs HKG Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: Afghanistan (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 38-45 HKG Total: 130-145 Match Winner: Afghanistan Scenario 2 Toss Winner: Hong Kong (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 45-50 AFG Total: 155-165 Match Winner: Afghanistan Who will win today's AFG vs HKG T20I match? By looking at the recent form of both teams, this match is going to be favourable for Afghanistan as they are coming into this tournament on the back of phenomenal form. Rashid Khan and team are desperate for a good start after their loss to Pakistan in the tri-series final but Hong Kong should be not be underestimated.