Asia Cup

What is the Asia Cup event about?

The 10th edition of the Men's Asia Cup will take place in September 2023, in the host country of Pakistan.

The cup tie will get decided through ODI matches between 6 Asian nations through the round-robin format, with the best teams clashing in the cup to become the Asian champions.

Table of Contents

• Details
• History
• Theme
• Registration
• Stars
• Schedule
• Venue
• Ticket Availability and Broadcasting
• Conclusion

Details

History

The Asian Cricket Council is the organising authority of the Asia Cup, which was first held in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE. It began as an ODI tournament, while presently, both ODI and T20 formats get organised every two years alternately.

This event is only limited to Asian cricket teams and began as a goodwill gesture between Asian countries. 

India has won the Men's Asia Cup a maximum of 7 times.

The latest champions were Sri Lanka (6 times), with Sanath Jayasuriya having scored the maximum number of runs (1220) and Muttiah Muralitharan with the maximum number of wickets (30).

The first edition of the Rothmans Asia Cup saw India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka become the title contenders. Eventually, India became the debutant champion, with Sri Lanka being the runners-up. 

The 2022 T20 Men's Asia Cup organised in the UAE saw Sri Lanka become the champion defeating Pakistan by 23 runs.

Incidentally, Pakistan is the potential organiser of the 2023 ODI version. 

Theme

The 2023 ODI Men's Asia Cup was postponed in 2021 due to the onslaught of COVID-19 as well as the packed playing schedule.

While Pakistan is set to organise the cup, economic constraints and the poor law and order situation may lead to the shifting of venues to more suitable locations. The theme of this 2023 Asian cricket tournament is yet to be determined. 

Besides, this tournament is among the most-watched international cricket competitions after the ICC World Cup. It will be the 16th edition of the Asia Cup and the 14th in terms of the ODI tournaments organised by the Asian Cricket Council.

This tournament will take just before the ICC World Cup in October, and it would be interesting to watch how leading teams rotate their marquee players to prevent setbacks due to unwanted injuries. 

The Men's Asia Cup ODI 2023 tournament also offers valuable scopes for newbie teams to highlight their potential and gain experience to qualify for future ICC events.

Although the ACC is yet to confirm any shift in potential venues, the 13 cricket matches are sure to pull crowds to witness the ecstatic class of India and Pakistan in the group stages. 

Registration

The tournament has already seen the qualification of five teams out of the maximum six allowed.

It includes:

The sixth slot lies empty and shall get decided on the ACC Men's Premier's Cup champion in April 2023.

It will include ten teams in two groups battling for the trophy, while the winner grabs the spare spot in the Men's Asia Cup round-robin stage.

Nepal is hosting the ACC Premier Cup 2023.

Besides, the Men's Asia Cup cricket tournament will include 12 group-stage games and a final.

It classified three teams into two groups:

The Men's Asia Cup 2023 tournament will include six group-stage matches played among six teams in the two groups. The top two teams from both groups proceed to the Super 4.

Each team plays the other three, meaning six matches, and the top two of the Super 4 play out a final to decide the tournament winner.

You can also check out the top ten teams in the ACC Men's Premier's Cup, where the winner directly enters the Group A of the Men's Asia Cup.

It includes:

Stars

Let us check out the marquee players from the five teams already qualified for the Men's Asia Cup 2023.

The top teams from the Indian subcontinent have plenty of talented players who can wreck havoc on their oppnonents' formidable batting lineups.

Besides, this stage offers the highest possibility of an epic clash between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan.

Here are five players from each team to look out for in the upcoming tournament:

Schedule

The Asia Cup 2023 will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17, 2023. The tournament will consist of 50-over ODI matches played at international standard grounds. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage in the 2023 edition. The final will include the top two teams from the Super Four stage.

The Asia Cup 2023 will get began in Multan with a match between Pakistan and Nepal. The event will feature six teams divided into two groups: Pakistan, India, and Nepal in Group A, and Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka in Group B. The matches will be contested in a fifty-overs format, with Pakistan and Sri Lanka sharing hosting duties. Pakistan will host four matches at two different locations, with the remaining games taking place in Sri Lanka.

Venue

The ACC gave Pakistan the official right to host the Men's Asia Cup ODI 2023 tournament.

However, the location may change or get shifted to a neutral location (UAE) for security reasons, as the Indian team abstains from visiting Pakistan to play cricket. 

Check out the top cricket stadiums in Pakistan where the tournament may take place:

• Karachi National Stadium
• Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
• Lahore Gaddafi Stadium
• Multan Cricket Stadium

Ticket Availability and Broadcasting

Play

Star Sports will offer DTH coverage for the Men's Asia Cup ODI 2023 tournament, and Disney Hotstar+ will provide OTT coverage.

As the final venue faces uncertainty, ticket sales are yet to begin. Online tickets will be available a month or two before the tournament is set to kick-start. 

The sold-out event will be the Group A clash between India and Pakistan. Besides, if both teams make it to the top two positions in the Super 4, a scintillating final will await cricket lovers worldwide.

For more information, check out leading websites like BookMyShow and Paytm. 

Conclusion

The Men's Asia Cup is the largest cricketing event on the continent, after the ICC World Cup, the ICC Test Championship, and the ICC Champions Trophy.

This ODI tournament highlights the tremendous growth of cricket beyond the Indian subcontinent as countries from SE Asia fight for qualifying in the World Cup. 

Although there still exists an air of uncertainty on whether Pakistan should continue as the official host, the ACC shall clear the doubt surrounding the same in the coming days.

This tournament is sure to ask tough questions about the availability and fitness of cricket players, as it lies between the 16th edition of the IPL and the ICC Men's ODI World Cup in October. 

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