Asia Cup 2025: Back up captain of each team

Asia Cup 2025: Back up captain of each team. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

The Asia Cup 2025 is right around the corner, and the excitement is fast building up for the tournament. The continental tournament has often served as a preparatory platform for upcoming ICC events, and it is no different this time round, as the T20 World Cup 2026 is the next men’s ICC event.

Meanwhile, all teams have announced their squads and are looking to make an impact in this competition. The upcoming Asia Cup is set to begin on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates. For the first time in history, the competition will feature eight teams in the T20 format. However, while the teams have already handed the captaincy, there are a few potential players whom the teams can give the responsibility of leadership in the worst-case scenario.

Back up captain of each team in Asia Cup 2025

Afghanistan — Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan’s former skipper and most experienced player, Mohammad Nabi, will be the backup captaincy option for the upcoming event. While Rashid Khan has been named the skipper, Nabi brings immense experience and leadership qualities, having captained Afghanistan across multiple stints.

His first tenure between 2013 and 2015 was a breakthrough period, where he led the team to 13 ODI and 16 T20I victories, including a historic win over Bangladesh in the 2014 Asia Cup, the team’s first victory against a Test-playing nation. He also captained Afghanistan at their maiden 2015 ODI World Cup. Nabi later returned to leadership for the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, though he stepped down after the latter due to disagreements over team preparation. Across formats, Nabi has captained 28 ODIs and 35 T20Is.

3. Sri Lanka — Kusal Mendis

Sri Lanka’s backup captaincy option for the Asia Cup 2025 could go-to wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis, with Charith Asalanka set to lead the team. Though Asalanka will be in the role, Mendis’s leadership experience for the Lankan Lions in the past makes him a reliable alternative if required.

The 30-year-old’s first stint as captain came during the 2023 ODI World Cup after Dasun Shanaka’s injury, making it his first major assignment as senior team skipper. Across 16 ODIs as captain, the batter has registered eight wins and seven losses, giving him a win percentage of 53.33%, ranking him among the better-performing Sri Lankan captains with at least 15 matches. His captaincy record also includes leading Sri Lanka’s U-19 team at the 2014 World Cup and in the Lanka Premier League. Under his tenure, Sri Lanka enjoyed a string of home successes against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, though results abroad were mixed.

Bangladesh — Towhid Hridoy

While Litton Das has been seen as a successful skipper by guiding Bangladesh to their maiden T20I series win over Sri Lanka and a historic series victory against Pakistan at home, he is set to lead the team in the upcoming Asia Cup. However, right-handed batter Towhid Hridoy could be a solid backup skipper.

Hridoy has previously served as vice-captain of Bangladesh’s 2020 Under-19 World Cup-winning squad. Though he has yet to captain the senior national side, but can be seen filling in the captaincy shoes. Since his international debut in 2023, Hridoy has scored a total of 1996 runs, across both the white-ball formats.

UAE — Rahul Chopra

Wicketkeeper batter Rahul Chopra’s captaincy for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made headlines in late 2024 when he was appointed captain of the ODI side, replacing Muhammad Waseem. In the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, he began his tenure with a tri-series against Oman and the Netherlands.

Although still in the early stages of his captaincy stint, Chopra led the team brilliantly. However, for the upcoming Asia Cup, Waseem has been given the duties, with Chopra seen as a reliable backup captaincy option.

Oman — Aamir Kaleem

Aamir Kaleem is one of the most well-known figures in Omani cricket. The veteran cricketer has seen Oman’s cricket career evolve from the Associate level to competing on the continental stage. In November 2019, he was appointed captain of Oman’s squad for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Earlier in his career, he also captained the Karachi Greens U-19 side in Pakistan.

At 43 years and 279 days (as of August 26, 2025), Kaleem is also the oldest player participating in this year’s premier 20-over event. Though Jatinder Singh leads Oman for this edition, Kaleem can be a backup if the team requires him to step in, when or if the mainstay captain isn’t available.

Hong Kong — Babar Hayat

One of Hong Kong’s most experienced cricketers, Babar Hayat, has been named vice-captain for the Asia Cup 2025, making him a backup captaincy option to skipper Yasim Murtaza. Hayat has been a strong member of Hong Kong cricket since making his international debut in 2014. The right-handed batter holds over 2,200 T20I runs, with two centuries and 12 fifties to his name.

In 2016, he was appointed captain of Hong Kong for their tour of Ireland and Scotland after Tanwir Afzal stepped down. That stint saw his first major role as a leader, guiding the team in the Intercontinental Cup and several 50-over fixtures.

Pakistan – Shaheen Afridi

Ace left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is a viable backup captaincy option for Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, where Salman Ali Agha has been named skipper. Despite the change in leadership, Afridi’s experience makes him a natural alternative if required.

Afridi briefly captained Pakistan in T20Is after Babar Azam stepped down in November 2023. However, his stint was short, with just one series against New Zealand, where the Men in Green lost 4-1, leading to his removal months before the 2024 T20 World Cup. Though his international captaincy stint was limited, the left-arm pacer has shown solid results in franchise cricket. As Lahore Qalandars’ captain, he guided them to three PSL titles, including back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023, and recently in the 2025 edition.

India — Shubman Gill

Star batter Shubman Gill could be seen as India’s backup captaincy option, with the management earlier appointing him vice-captain for the Asia Cup. While the current squad includes several players with IPL captaincy experience, Gill will be viewed as the first preference behind Suryakumar Yadav. His captaincy career has seen both ups and downs over the past two years.

In franchise cricket, Gill has led the Gujarat Titans across two IPL seasons so far. Meanwhile, he captained India in the 2024 T20I series against Zimbabwe, guiding the team to a 4-1 victory while also finishing as the leading run-scorer. Recently, he was handed India’s Test captaincy against England following Rohit Sharma’s retirement. Gill not only scored heavily but also helped the team fight back to secure a 2-2 draw in a tough away series.