Asia Cup 2025: Sony Sports unveils star-studded commentary panel for UAE tournament
A broadcast booth with its own star power
The broadcast box may be as stacked as the playing XIs. Sony Sports Network has confirmed a heavyweight roster of former greats and seasoned analysts to call the Asia Cup 2025 from the UAE, promising wall-to-wall coverage in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The 17th edition of the tournament runs from September 9 to 28 and arrives as a full-dress T20 rehearsal for the ICC event that follows in early 2026.
In English, the booth reads like a hall of fame. Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri headline, bringing the gravitas of a batting legend and the bite of a former India head coach. They are flanked by Pakistan’s iconic pace pair Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, whose on-air chemistry has become as familiar as their new-ball spells once were. Simon Doull adds a Kiwi pace-bowler’s eye for detail, while Sri Lanka’s Russel Arnold, India’s VVS Laxman and Robin Uthappa, Pakistan’s Bazid Khan, and India’s Sanjay Manjrekar round out a panel built to cover every angle—from technique and tactics to pressure moments and selection gambles.
Hindi viewers get an equally punchy lineup. Virender Sehwag’s no-filter takes and sharp humor pair with Irfan Pathan’s bowling insights and television polish. Ajay Jadeja brings a batter’s street smarts, Saba Karim the administrator’s perspective, and coach-broadcaster Abhishek Nayar the data-driven detail fans now expect in T20 analysis. It’s the kind of mix that turns a mid-overs lull into something you actually listen to.
Regional audiences aren’t an afterthought. Tamil coverage lands in steady hands with WV Raman—former India opener and coach—and Bharat Arun, the ex-India bowling coach who helped shape India’s most successful pace era. For Telugu, Venkatapathy Raju, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, and Gnaneswara Rao bring domestic know-how and on-ground familiarity with emerging Indian talent. That regional depth matters in 2025, when many fans follow domestic and IPL storylines as closely as national teams.
There’s also a first: Afghanistan will be represented in the commentary box by Ahmad Farhad Fidai. For a team that has surged in white-ball cricket, having an Afghan voice on the mic is more than symbolism—it’s a nod to a fan base that’s grown fast and travels loud.
Rajesh Kaul, Sony’s Chief Revenue Officer, has framed the lineup as part of a broader push to “reimagine” how big cricket weeks are televised—more languages, deeper analysis, and presentation tailored for every viewer, from casual fans to stat-obsessed diehards. Expect the full spread: match-day build-ups, tactical breakdowns, and post-game debates driven by a panel that’s been there, done that, and usually has the ring or the bat marks to prove it.
Schedule, stakes, and the stories to watch
The Asia Cup returns to the UAE, a venue that rewards clarity—of plans, of shot selection, and often of slower-ball execution. It’s T20 cricket, so the edges are thin and the margins thinner, especially on surfaces that can grip under lights. The tournament also doubles as a tune-up for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February. Coaches will be hunting answers: finisher roles, death-overs combinations, top-order tempo, and how flexible teams can be with match-ups.
The eight teams are split into two groups:
- Group A: Pakistan, India, UAE, Oman
- Group B: Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong
Group play runs September 9 to 19, followed by the Super Four from September 20 to 26, and the final on September 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The top two from each group advance to the Super Four, where every game usually feels like a knockout.
Match-ups are set to build momentum early. The event opens with Afghanistan vs Hong Kong from Group B. India start on September 10 against the UAE, a fixture that should tell us how India handle spin-to-win conditions if the pitch slows up. Pakistan begin on September 12 versus Oman, and then comes the date circled in every fan’s calendar: India vs Pakistan on September 14—prime-time, high stakes, and likely razor-thin margins.
A packed commentary booth matters most on nights like that. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis can decode how the ball behaves in the desert, when reverse swing shows up, and what it takes to commit to the yorker with a wet ball. Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar can break down split-second batting choices—how early a batter needs to pick the slower ball, and why line, not length, can be the first mistake against hitters who open up the off side. Simon Doull and Russel Arnold bring a neutral’s honesty on selection calls, while VVS Laxman and Robin Uthappa can zoom in on batting mechanics that decide chases in the final four overs.
In Hindi, expect Sehwag to call it as he sees it, especially on strike-rate debates and powerplay intent. Irfan Pathan’s left-arm lens is valuable in the UAE, where angles at the crease often beat outright pace. Ajay Jadeja reads field settings as well as anyone on TV, and Saba Karim tends to keep one eye on selection trends. Abhishek Nayar’s coaching chops fill in the gaps with data-backed reads on why teams hold back certain match-ups for particular batters.
The Tamil and Telugu rooms will drill into the craft. WV Raman’s track record with young batters means technique gets specific—how to play the slog-sweep risk-free, why some batters prefer staying leg-side of the ball, and how to rotate strike when the ball grips. Bharat Arun’s view on seam position, cutters, and field protection in the last five overs will give viewers something to look for beyond just the scoreboard. For Telugu listeners, Venkatapathy Raju’s spin cues and Venugopal Rao’s middle-overs reading should be gold in the UAE, where 140 can be a winning score on the wrong night.
The Asia Cup’s field mixes familiar giants with hungry climbers. Oman and Hong Kong earned their shots through the ACC pathway, and both have upset histories in short-format cricket. The UAE know these pitches and conditions better than most; how they set totals—go hard early or back a par-plus score—will be worth tracking. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka arrive with deep spin stocks. Afghanistan’s rise in T20s is built on pressure bowling and power hitting down the order. Pakistan and India remain loaded, but both will want sharper death-overs plans after recent tournaments showed how fast games swing between overs 16 and 20.
Key dates to mark:
- September 9: Tournament opener (Afghanistan vs Hong Kong)
- September 10: India vs UAE
- September 12: Pakistan vs Oman
- September 14: India vs Pakistan
- September 20–26: Super Four stage
- September 28: Final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Beyond the fixtures, the broadcast itself is a story. Multilingual coverage now shapes how fans experience big tournaments—your first screen might be English or Hindi, but language-specific feeds often provide the texture and local angles that diehards crave. By stacking its booth with ex-captains, World Cup winners, and high-quality regional voices, Sony is betting that smarter analysis travels, no matter the tongue.
The result should be a tournament that plays out on two levels: battles on the field, and in-booth perspectives that sharpen what viewers notice in real time. Whether it’s a premeditated scoop, a bowler disguising the knuckleball, or a captain hiding his match-up for the back end, this panel has the range to call it, explain it, and argue about it. And that’s exactly what you want in a month where every over feels like it carries a season’s worth of meaning.
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