Asia Cup 2025: Can United Arab Emirates upset India & Pakistan? UAE head coach says ‘It's not about overconfidence’

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) are taking confidence from their T20I series victory over Bangladesh recently to upset bigger teams like India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, opined head coach Lalchand Rajput. UAE are clubbed with India, Oman and Pakistan in Group A.

UAE started with a loss in the first game but bounced back with back-to-back wins to win the series. Rajput, a former India cricketer, emphasised on the UAE cricketers' skills, especially their fielding, to outfox the opponents. They will also be playing a tri-series involving Pakistan and Afghanistan shortly to prepare for the Asia Cup 2025.

“The UAE squad is drawn in a challenging Asia Cup group alongside India, Pakistan and Oman, but you never know — anything can happen. We can upset any team,” Rajput, who oversaw India's 2007 T20 World Cup win in South Africa, said. "We are focusing on skills, fitness, and fielding.

"Playing against better teams requires players to be mentally strong and physically fit. Fitness is very important. Players’ improvement and form are essential — they cannot remain stagnant. We want to keep building on the momentum,” added Rajput to Gulf News.

Is beating Bangladesh an overconfidence for UAE?

Beating Bangladesh is not an overconfidence for UAE and Rajput but a confidence to upset big teams in future. “Beating Test-playing countries, especially Bangladesh, gave us a lot of confidence. It’s not about overconfidence — it’s about believing we can compete and win against anyone," he said.

"Playing these top-ranked teams gives our players a big platform. It’s a chance to know themselves and build momentum heading into the Asia Cup. If you can beat a team like Bangladesh, why not aim for bigger upsets? Our players are excited and ready to take that challenge.” UAE will start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against India on September 10.