The Asian Cricket Council announced that the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament is set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from February 13 to 22. This T20 format tournament aims to showcase emerging talent from the ‘A’ teams of four full-member nations with ODI status and four top associate teams from Asia. Originally scheduled for June 6 in Sri Lanka last year, the event was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and health concerns related to chikungunya spread.
India ‘A’ will compete in Group A alongside Pakistan ‘A’, UAE, and Nepal, while Bangladesh ‘A’, Sri Lanka ‘A’, Malaysia, and Bangladesh will form Group B. The tournament will kick off with India facing the UAE on February 13, followed by matches against Pakistan ‘A’ on February 15 and Nepal on February 17. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals on February 20, with the final scheduled for February 22.
The first edition of the tournament took place in 2023 at the Mission Road Ground in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Despite challenges like Thailand A’s withdrawal due to visa issues and rain disruptions causing match cancellations, India ‘A’ emerged victorious by defeating Bangladesh ‘A’ in the final. The upcoming competition may see the announcement of India ‘A’ squad in the near future.
