Babar Azam is not playing in the Pakistan T20I squad, including the Asia Cup 2025, primarily because of concerns over his strike rate and overall impact in the modern T20 format. After Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 and his resignation as T20I captain, Babar was given opportunities to regain form during bilateral series but failed to perform at the required strike rate and lacked match-winning contributions. As a result, Pakistan's coach Mike Hesson and the selection committee decided to drop him and Mohammad Rizwan, focusing on building a more aggressive and quick-scoring batting lineup. Babar has been advised to improve specific areas of his game, particularly his strike rate and performance against spin, with hopes that he may make a comeback after working on these skills. Currently, Babar is practicing in Lahore and not part of the squad traveling for the Asia Cup 2025.