International Cricket

ICC Men's Emerging Asia Cup May 2026: Day 1 Fixture Preview

Rohan Bhatia 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~5 min read ~864 words

Stadium signage for the ICC Men's Emerging Asia Cup 2026 in Colombo with players warming up

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The ACC Men's Emerging Asia Cup 2026 starts in Colombo on May 22 and runs through to the final on June 1. Six teams (India A, Pakistan A, Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A, and a UAE-Oman combined A-side as the Associate slot) play a round-robin into a two-leg final stage. The tournament has shifted to a T20 format this cycle, which compresses the calendar to 11 days and aligns the broadcast window with prime-time evening cricket. Day 1 has two matches and the broadcast deal sits with Sony Sports Network in India for the world feed, with selective LiveMe streaming for Pakistan and Bangladesh markets.

Day 1 fixtures and broadcast windows

Friday May 22 sees the tournament opener at the R. Premadasa Stadium: Sri Lanka A vs Bangladesh A at 14:30 IST (15:00 local). The night game is the marquee: India A vs Pakistan A at the same venue, 19:30 IST start. The Pakistan A squad arrived in Colombo on Wednesday May 20 and the India A side, captained by Yash Dhull with VVS Laxman as head coach for the tournament, lands on the morning of May 21. The broadcast windows are 14:00 to 18:00 IST and 19:00 to 23:00 IST. The Pakistan-region feed runs on PTV Sports and on the Tapmad app. The UK feed will be on Now Sports.

India A squad and Pakistan A squad shape

India A has Yash Dhull as captain, with Tilak Varma resting and Sai Sudharsan as vice. The fast-bowling group is Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and the uncapped Ankit Kumar from the Bengal Ranji set. Riyan Parag is the off-spin all-rounder in the middle order. Pakistan A is led by Saud Shakeel, with Mohammad Haris keeping wicket and Mehran Mumtaz the left-arm spinner. The interesting selection is Shaheen Afridi's younger brother Naseem Afridi making his A-team debut. Both squads have been in conditioning camps for ten days before the tournament and the team management on both sides have flagged India A vs Pakistan A as a 2027 World Cup window for the senior selectors.

The format and the prize pool

The round-robin is six teams in two pools of three. The top two from each pool go to a Super 4 stage and the top two from Super 4 contest the final on June 1. The ACC prize pool is 200,000 USD with the winners taking 100,000 USD and the runners-up 50,000 USD. The Player of the Tournament award is 10,000 USD. The tournament also serves as a T20 Asia Cup 2026 senior-window selection trial. The senior Asia Cup is in September and the ACC has confirmed the venue as Dubai.

What to watch on day 1

Three things. First, the toss at Premadasa for the night game: dew has been a deciding factor in 11 of the last 14 night matches there. Second, Yash Dhull's opening combination. Sai Sudharsan or Abhishek Sharma is the call, and the Indian team management has been working through both options in nets. Third, Pakistan A's power-play seam plan against the Indian top three. Naseem Afridi's pace is reportedly clocking 142 kph in camp, and the new-ball partnership with Mohammad Wasim Jr will get the strike rate test. Sri Lanka A vs Bangladesh A is also a credible day match. The Bangladesh A captain Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been in form and the Sri Lanka A spin attack of Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage is the obvious threat.

What it means

The Emerging Asia Cup is a development tournament with a senior-selection edge, and the T20 format aligns it directly with the World Cup pathway. The broadcast deal across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh markets means it commands prime-time audiences. The Player of the Tournament has historically converted to a senior debut within 18 months. Watch the India A vs Pakistan A opener for storyline. Watch the Sri Lanka A spin attack for the long game. Watch the UAE-Oman combined side for the Associate pathway story.