Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE, Rising Stars 2026: 20 November at 11 am PKT, Venue and Both Squads
Pakistan Shaheens play the UAE in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 on 20 November at 11 am PKT at UDST, Doha. The UAE squad under Basil Hameed and full fixtures.
Short answer: Pakistan Shaheens open their ACC Men's Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 title defence against the UAE on Friday 20 November at 11 am PKT. The match is at the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) ground in Doha, Qatar. It is a 50-over Group B game. Abdul Samad captains the Shaheens and Basil Hameed leads the UAE.
The start time is the same on every official list: 9 am in Doha, which is 11 am in Pakistan. A win would give the Shaheens 2 points before their big game against India A two days later.
Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE starts at 11 am PKT on 20 November
The game is on Friday 20 November 2026 at the UDST ground in Doha. The Emirates Cricket Board gives a 9 am local start, and the Asian Cricket Council and PCB both list 11 am PKT. Qatar is two hours behind Pakistan, so all three agree.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE, Group B |
| Tournament | ACC Men's Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 |
| Format | 50 overs a side |
| Date | Friday 20 November 2026 |
| Time | 11 am PKT (9 am in Doha) |
| Venue | University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) ground, Doha |
| Pakistan Shaheens captain | Abdul Samad |
| UAE captain | Basil Hameed |
| Same day, Group B | India A vs Nepal, West End International Cricket Stadium |
The tournament opens a day earlier, on Thursday 19 November, with two Group A games. All 15 fixtures are on the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 schedule.
Basil Hameed leads a 15-player UAE squad
The Emirates Cricket Board named its squad on 10 November 2026, with batter Basil Hameed as captain. Naveed Ahmed is head coach and Zahoor Ahmed assistant coach. The UAE play all three of their group games at the UDST ground.
| UAE squad | Note |
|---|---|
| Basil Hameed | Captain, batter |
| Aftab Alam | |
| Anshh Tandon | |
| Aryansh Sharma | |
| Ayaan Misbah | Captained UAE at the U19 Asia Cup this month |
| Awais Ali Shah | |
| Ethan D'Souza | |
| Ibrar Ahmad | |
| Muhammad Mohsin | |
| Muhammad Shahdad | |
| Noorullah Ayobi | |
| Omid Rehman | |
| Sohaib Khan | |
| Uddish Suri | |
| Zahid Ali |
Support staff: Amjad Izzi (manager), Naveed Ahmed (head coach) and Zahoor Ahmed (assistant coach). The UAE senior side has a new head coach too: the board appointed Ahmed Raza on 6 November after Lalchand Rajput stepped down.
Abdul Samad leads the defending champions
The PCB named a 15-player Shaheens squad on 3 November. It has seven batters, wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir, three spinners and four fast bowlers led by Mohammad Hasnain. Pakistan won the last edition, in Qatar in 2025, and also won in 2019 and 2023.
| Role | Pakistan Shaheens players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Abdul Samad |
| Batters | Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Haider Ali, Shahzaib Khan, Farhan Yousuf, Shamyl Hussain |
| Wicketkeeper | Rohail Nazir |
| Spinners | Danish Aziz, Saad Masood, Sufyan Moqim |
| Fast bowlers | Mohammad Hasnain, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Muhammad Imran Randhawa |
Each player's role is listed in the Pakistan Shaheens squad announcement. Farhan Yousuf will have had less than a week's rest after captaining Pakistan U19 in the U19 Asia Cup final against India on 14 November.
The UAE play all three group games at one ground
The UAE play all three group games at the UDST ground in Doha, on 20, 22 and 24 November, each at 9 am local time, which is 11 am PKT. That means no change of ground for them, while the Shaheens move to West End after the opener:
- Friday 20 November: Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE
- Sunday 22 November: UAE vs Nepal
- Tuesday 24 November: India A vs UAE
One UAE name will be familiar. Ayaan Misbah captained the UAE at the U19 Asia Cup in Oman this month, the event where Pakistan U19 reached the final.
For Pakistan, the UAE game is the one to win well. India A, with Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, are the side to beat, and only two teams go through. A big win on Friday would help the Shaheens if the group comes down to net run rate.
Semi-finals follow on 26 November, final on 29 November
The top two from each group reach the semi-finals, played across groups: the Group A winner against the Group B runner-up, and the Group B winner against the Group A runner-up. The final is on Sunday 29 November at the West End International Cricket Stadium in Doha.
| Date | Match | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20 November | Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE, 11 am PKT | UDST |
| Sunday 22 November | India A vs Pakistan Shaheens | West End |
| Tuesday 24 November | Pakistan Shaheens vs Nepal | West End |
| 26 November | Semi-final 1: A1 vs B2 | West End |
| 26 or 27 November | Semi-final 2: B1 vs A2 | See note below |
| Sunday 29 November | Final, 11 am PKT | West End |
The second semi-final date differs between official lists. The Emirates Cricket Board and the BCCI give Friday 27 November at West End. The ACC match centre lists both semi-finals on 26 November, the second one at the UDST ground. If the Shaheens top the group, that is the game that matters to them.
Common questions
When is Pakistan Shaheens vs UAE in the Rising Stars 2026?
Friday 20 November 2026 at 11 am PKT, at the UDST ground in Doha, Qatar.
Who is the UAE captain for the Rising Stars 2026?
Basil Hameed, a batter. Naveed Ahmed is the team's head coach.
Who is the Pakistan Shaheens captain?
Abdul Samad, named by the PCB on 3 November 2026.
Who do Pakistan Shaheens play after the UAE?
India A on Sunday 22 November and Nepal on Tuesday 24 November.
How many teams reach the semi-finals?
Four. The top two from Group A and the top two from Group B.
Is the Rising Stars 2026 played in 50-over or T20 format?
50 overs a side. The 2024 and 2025 editions were T20 events.
How we verified this
What we checked and where we read it.
We checked the UAE squad, support staff and UAE match times in the Emirates Cricket Board's release of 10 November 2026, and the UAE head coach change in its release of 6 November, on 15 November 2026. The same ECB release gives the final as Friday 27 November in one line and Sunday 29 November in its schedule; the ACC, BCCI and PCB all give 29 November, which we use. Match times and grounds were checked on the ACC match centre on 15 November. The Shaheens squad and roles come from the PCB release of 3 November. Past titles come from the tournament's results records.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
