The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-member squad for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026. Abdul Samad will lead the defending champions in the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan Shaheens are preparing to defend their title in the eight-team competition. The tournament will take place in Qatar from November 19 to 29.

The competition will follow the One-Day format this year. Pakistan will also face arch-rivals India A in a much-anticipated group-stage match.

Pakistan Shaheens Full Squad for Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026

The announced Shaheens Squad includes emerging players and several familiar names. The team combines batting options, wicketkeeping strength, spin bowling, and pace.

The complete 15-member squad is as follows:

PlayerRole
Abdul SamadCaptain
Hasan NawazSquad member
Maaz SadaqatSquad member
Shamyl HussainSquad member
Haider AliSquad member
Shahzaib KhanSquad member
Farhan YousafSquad member
Rohail NazirWicketkeeper
Danish AzizSpin-bowling option
Saad MasoodSpinner
Sufiyan MuqeemSpinner
Mohammad HasnainFast bowler
Imran RandhawaFast bowler
Aqif JavedFast bowler
Ahmed DaniyalFast bowler

Abdul Samad will captain the side during the tournament. Hasan Nawaz, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, and Shahzaib Khan are also included.

Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, and Farhan Yousaf have secured places in the team. Rohail Nazir will handle wicketkeeping duties.

Danish Aziz, Saad Masood, and Sufiyan Muqeem provide spin-bowling options. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain, Imran Randhawa, Aqif Javed, and Ahmed Daniyal form the pace attack.

Pakistan Shaheens to Face India A on November 22

Pakistan Shaheens have been placed in Group B alongside India A, the United Arab Emirates, and Nepal. Their match against India A is scheduled for November 22.

The defending champions will begin their campaign against the UAE on November 20. They will then face India A before completing their group fixtures against Nepal.

The group-stage schedule is:

DateMatch
November 20, 2026Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE
November 22, 2026Pakistan Shaheens vs India A
November 24, 2026Pakistan Shaheens vs Nepal

According to the announced schedule, the opening match will take place during the day. The remaining group-stage fixtures will be played as day-night encounters.

Pakistan Shaheens Aim to Defend Regional Title

Pakistan Shaheens enter the competition with recent success in both 50-over and T20 editions. They won the 2023 One-Day final against India A in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan secured that title with a 128-run victory. The team later won the T20 competition by defeating Bangladesh A in a Super Over.

The upcoming tournament will feature semi-finals on November 26 and 27. The final is scheduled for November 29.

With Abdul Samad leading a mix of emerging and experienced players, Pakistan will aim for another title. The Shaheens Squad will face several challenges during the tournament, including the highly anticipated match against India A.

The Shaheens Squad will begin its title defence against the UAE on November 20. Its performance throughout the group stage will determine its progress towards the semi-finals.

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