5 unknown stars to watch out for in Asia Cup 2025
Here are the five unknown stars that we at OTTplay believe can shine at the Asia Cup 2025. The list includes Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Ayush Shukla, Sufiyan Muqeem, Pathum Nissanka, and Muhammad Rohid.
Last Updated: 11.16 AM, Sep 06, 2025
The Asia Cup 2025, the biggest tournament in men’s cricket among Asian teams, is set to begin on September 9th and conclude on September 28th in the UAE. With all the hype around the tournament, here are five unknown cricketers who I believe can impress you during the tournament. Obviously, since we are talking about unknown stars, I have not mentioned anyone from the Indian squad in this list.
Please note that we have made the list in random order. And, we have only considered the records and form of all these cricketers in the T20I format.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib | Bangladesh
Tanzim Hasan Sakib, the medium pacer from Bangladesh, has everything a great T20I bowler should have. He can swing the ball up front and attack the edges of the batters.
In death overs, Tanzim can bring in his yorkers and slower deliveries as well. If Bangladesh has to do well during the Asia Cup, along with their spinners, Tanzim and Taskin will have to do well as pacers.
In the last one year for Bangladesh in T20Is, Tanzim has taken 21 wickets in 16 matches with an average of 25.85; only Taskin Ahmed has a better record than him. Tanzim’s career T20I economy rate of 8.50 is decent as well.
So, he will surely be a player to watch out for during the Asia Cup 2025.
Ayush Shukla | Hong Kong
Generally, many will not have that much information on Hong Kong players, but since they play the T20I format mostly, they can surprise many teams during the Asia Cup 2025.
Ayush Shukla is one of those players who can come out as a surprising package. The 22-year-old right-arm medium pacer has taken 47 wickets in his T20I career so far at an economy rate of 7.60.
Moreover, he also has the world record of bowling 4 maidens in a T20I game; a feat he achieved against Mongolia in 2024.
Sufiyan Muqeem | Pakistan
Although Pakistan has a strong bowling lineup with stars like Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Hasan Ali, I feel Sufiyan Muqeem can come out as their best bowler during the Asia Cup.
The 25-year-old chainaman bowler has already taken 23 wickets in 16 T20Is and has been the third-best bowler for Pakistan in the last one year in T20Is.
On those pitches of the UAE, surely it will get slower and lower as the tournament progresses, and Muqeem would be one to watch out for if that happens. However, Muqeem has gone for runs in the ongoing Tri-series and will have to be on target when the tournament starts.
Now, the irony is that I am not sure about the selection process for the Pakistan team and whether he will get that many games to make an impact.
Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan players always go under the radar. Pathum Nissanka has been one of the best top-order batters in T20Is in the last 12 months, scoring 491 runs at an average of 40.91, with a strike-rate of 135.63.
He has been the third-highest run scorer in T20Is among batters from full ICC members in the last 12 months. So, he has made an impact silently and thus can also be one of the unknown stars to watch out for during Asia Cup 2025.
Nissanka will, though, have to work on his strike-rate a bit, if Sri Lanka has to be top teams like India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan too. His partnership with Kusal Mendis will be a vital cog for Sri Lanka's success.
Muhammad Rohid | UAE
UAE’s young left-arm pacer Muhammad Rohid has impressed one and all with his ability to swing the ball both ways during the Tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan.
During the game against Pakistan, Rohid bowled four overs in a row and troubled both left-handers and right-handers.
The 22-year-old pacer has only played 8 T20I games for the UAE while taking 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.93, which is outstanding. Although during the Asia Cup, he will face better batters, he has all the capabilities to surprise them with swing and length.