The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has given the Emerging Teams Asia Cup a fresh new name: the Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship. This seventh edition of the tournament, which kicked off back in 2013, is set to begin on November 14 in Doha, Qatar. Just like in 2024, eight teams will compete this time around: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, the UAE, and Hong Kong. The format remains unchanged, sticking to T20. There won’t be a Super Four stage, and the top two teams from each group will move on to the semifinals. A total of 15 matches will be played, with the final slated for November 23. The teams will be split into two groups of four, similar to the Men’s 2025 Asia Cup, and, not surprisingly, India and Pakistan find themselves in the same group again, just like last time. Oman and the UAE will join them in that group, while Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong will make up the other group. This setup guarantees at least one India vs Pakistan match, with the possibility of a semifinal or final showdown as well. According to Cricbuzz, the Test-playing nations will be sending their ‘A’ teams, while the other three will field their strongest squads for the 2025 Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship, just like in the previous edition. Also Read | Why India and Australia Wear Black Armbands in Women's WC Semi-Final? In the last tournament, players such as Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, and Anshul Kamboj represented India. This time, we can expect a new wave of talent to be selected. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might consider sending promising youngsters like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. Both have made their mark in domestic cricket for their states and are seen as the future stars of Indian cricket. Recently, Zubin Bharucha, the Director of High Performance for Rajasthan Royals, suggested that Suryavanshi should be promoted from India U-19 to India A, and that could happen soon. In addition to Suryavanshi and Mhatre, we might also see some more Under-19 players, with others like Priyansh Arya and Vipraj Nigam potentially getting the nod as well.