UAE Blitz Hong Kong in 11 Overs to Set Up the ACC Premier Cup Final

While Nepal were bowling Oman out for 60 in the first semi-final, the second one at Bangi was even more one-sided. UAE chased down Hong Kong’s 70 in just 11.1 overs, winning by 7 wickets with 233 balls to spare, to reach the ACC Premier Cup 2026 final.

The side that beat Nepal, beaten in return

Hong Kong arrived at the semi-final having been the only team to beat Nepal in the group stage — a 15-run win built on Babar Hayat’s unbeaten 117 (full recap here). Against the UAE, that form disappeared entirely: bowled out cheaply enough that the chase was effectively over inside a quarter of the innings.

That’s the nature of a straight knockout — the team that produced the tournament’s best individual innings against Nepal can just as easily be the one bowled out for 70 against someone else five days later. Associate cricket at this level runs on thin margins and hot streaks, not sustained dominance.

What it means for Saturday

The UAE now go into the final against Nepal having barely been tested in the knockout stage — an 11-over chase reveals depth and firepower, but tells you almost nothing about how a side handles pressure in a tight finish. Nepal, by contrast, have already been extended once this tournament (the Hong Kong loss) and answered back with a dominant semi-final of their own.

Full preview of the final, and what both sides bring into it, is here. The two sides have met in exactly this fixture before, with an Asia Cup place on the line — that history is covered here.