Asia Cup 2023 Archives - Lokmarg

India Replaces Pakistan As Top ODI Team In ICC Ranking

By LokMarg 22nd September 2023

India climbed to No.1 in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings after registering a win against Australia by five wickets in Mohali on Friday. With the win, India also accomplished a rare feat by becoming the top team in all three formats.

According to ICC, India (116 rating points) displaced their arch-rivals Pakistan (115) at the top of the rankings after the win in the first ODI. Australia remain third with 111 points.

As a result of the win, India now reigns supreme across all formats as the No.1 team, having already occupied the top spot in Tests and T20Is.

India cruised to a five-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI to achieve the feat. Mohammed Shami’s five-wicket haul was the highlight of their bowling innings after stand-in skipper KL Rahul opted to field first.

In reply, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a fifty each and stitched a 142-run opening stand. Despite losing a few quick wickets, the fifties from Rahul and Surykumar Yadav held the fort and guided the hosts to victory.

It has been a scramble at the top of the ODI Team Rankings lately with India, Pakistan and Australia all in contention for the top spot during the recently-concluded Asia Cup and Australia’s ODI series against South Africa.

Pakistan held on to their No.1 spot despite not making it to the Asia Cup Final. Both India and Australia had opportunities to reach the ODI summit during the Asia Cup and the South Africa series but lost games when it mattered.

As a result of the defeat, Australia no longer stands a chance to be the No.1 team heading into the World Cup. However, Pakistan could still go to the top if Australia win the remaining two matches.

India remain in the box seat now, with a series win guaranteeing them the top spot heading into the marquee event at home.

India’s dominance now extends across all formats with them already occupying the No.1 spot in Tests and T20Is. This is only the second time in men’s cricketing history that a side has achieved the No.1 ranking across the formats. Prior to this, only South Africa had achieved the feat back in August 2012.

In the longer format, India have displayed remarkable consistency as a result of which they made their second consecutive World Test Championship Final in June, though they failed to conquer the final frontier again. Their recent record in bilateral series is almost spotless, with the series loss against South Africa in 2021-22 being the only blemish.

In T20Is, India reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2022. Their run in bilateral T20I series has been all the more impressive, having lost just one series out of 14 since the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup. (ANI)

Virat Kohli Turns Water Boy For Team India

By LokMarg 15th September 2023

India’s talisman batter Virat Kohli has been a source of entertainment in cricket and never fails to make people laugh with his varied antics on the pitch, even when he is not in playing XI, he never misses an opportunity to crack a wisecrack.

Kohli has been rested from the team India in a dead rubber match against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super Four clash. Other than this India many changes in their playing XI. Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav have been given a rest.

While, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, and Prasidh Krishna have been included in the playing XI.

After Anamul Haque was dismissed, Kohli went to the pitch carrying water for his teammates, and his sprinting technique had the crowd in splits. With early breakthroughs, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur gave India an amazing start to the game.

Talking about the match, India won the toss and opted to field against Bangladesh in their last Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup. (ANI)

Team India Beat Pakistan With Record Margin In Asia Cup Super Four

By LokMarg 11th September 2023

Fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash here at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Kuldeep bagged his second ODI five-for as India clinched a huge 228-run win – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase. With this mammoth victory, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.

Defending a challenging target of 356, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah breathed fire in the 5th over of the game as he removed opener Imam-ul-Haq, giving Pakistan a big blow. All-rounder Hardik Pandya bamboozled Babar Azam with an absolute ripper in the 11th over of the game.

Shardul Thakur bowled a peach to get the better of Mohammad Rizwan. It was bowled around off stump but the ball shaped away from Rizwan, who closed the face of his bat and got an outside edge. KL Rahul comfortably collected the ball behind the stumps. Rizwan departed for two runs off 5 balls, leaving Pakistan in great trouble.

The Indian pacers continue to trouble Pakistan batters with some amazing movement on the ball. Fakhar Zaman was getting restless as the required run rate was going high for Pakistan. He tried to take on Kuldeep Yadav and perished in the process. It was a fuller ball from Kuldeep that rattled the stumps. Fakhar departed after scoring 27 runs off 50 balls.

In the 21st over of the game, Agha Salman got seriously injured as he was hit on his face by the ball on the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

The Pakistan batter Salman walked to play a sweep shot but missed the ball completely which caught him plumb in front of the stumps on the delivery of Kuldeep. Salman took a review but ball tracking suggested that would have clipped the leg stump.

Kuldeep picked his third wicket as Shadab Khan was caught by Shardul Thakur in the deep and left Pakistan tottering at 111/6 after 28 overs.

Kuldeep broke Pakistan’s back as he picked his fourth wicket of the match, removing Iftikhar Ahmed for 23.

The Indian spinner bowled Faheem Ashraf to complete his fifer and the match ended with India winning by a huge margin of 228 runs as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, who went off while fielding with niggles, did not come out to bat.

Earlier, Virat Kohli’s vintage performance and KL Rahul’s unbridled century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.

Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.

Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed a fiery 111 of 106 balls.

Brief score: India 356/2 (Virat Kohli 122*, KL Rahul 111; Shaheen Afridi 1-79) vs Pakistan 128 (Fakhar Zaman 27, Agha Salman 23; Kuldeep Yadav 5-25). (ANI)

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India Announces 15-Member Squad For Cricket WC 2023

By LokMarg 5th September 2023

Indian captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-member squad for the ICC men’s Cricket World Cup on Tuesday here in Kandy.

The squad is almost the same as the Asia Cup squad, Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna are excluded from the side.

India is going with four seamers Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammed Siraj while three spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Rahul injured his thigh earlier in the year at the IPL, though has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and will likely join his India teammates during the latter stages of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. With Rahul in the squad, Sanju Samson has missed out, as well as Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna as other omissions.

Captain Rohit Sharma leads the batting group, with Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav all named, as well as Ishan Kishan who provides another keeping option. All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have also been named in an emphasis on batting options.

After showing no signs of injury upon his return, Jasprit Bumrah spearheads the bowling group, with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj likely the first-choice pace group. Kuldeep Yadav is the side’s leading spin option.

The World Cup commences on Thursday, October 5 when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on Sunday, 19 November. India will start its campaign with a match against Australia in Chennai on October 8.

Ten teams will feature in this biggest Cricket World Cup ever, to be played across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The event will feature 48 matches to be played across 46 days.

The venues other than Ahmedabad and Chennai are Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. While Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.

Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots were decided by the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka and the Netherlands grabbed the two final spots in the tournament.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The final will be on November 19 in Ahmedabad. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

Indian squad for World Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj. (ANI)

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Visit To Pak Purely For Cricket: Rajeev Shukla

By LokMarg 4th September 2023

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Roger Binny and Vice-President Rajeev Shukla arrived at Punjab’s Amritsar airport as they embark on a visit to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 on Monday. They are likely to be present in the Gadaffi stadium for Tuesday’s match.

Binny and Shukla are travelling to Pakistan after an invitation was extended to the members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and other cricket boards by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to attend the mega event.

Shukla made it clear that their two-day visit is not for political reasons but purely cricket.

“This two-day visit is purely from the point of view of cricket, nothing political, a dinner has been hosted and three teams will be there – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.”

While Binny, who is making his first visit to Pakistan since 2006 is looking forward to it and said, “I am looking forward to my visit since we’ve been to Colombo to see matches in Sri Lanka.”

When asked about why the Indian team did not tour Pakistan for the tournament and the future possibility of such a tour, Rajeev Shukla said ” We will go by the advice of the government, whatever the government will decide we will do that.”

The 2023 Asia Cup is being held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17.

Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

Pakistan cricket team will play the tournament’s opener against Nepal, who will be playing their first Asia Cup, on August 30 in Multan.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, on July 19 announced the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023.

The tournament kicked off on August 30, the arch-rivals India and Pakistan have already faced each other once on September 2, with India posting a total of 266 on the board in the first innings. However, the game was washed out completely due to rain in Kandy and both teams walked out with a point each.

India will play their final group match on Monday against Nepal in the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. (ANI)

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Asia Cup: Bumrah Flies Back To Mumbai Due To Personal Reasons

By LokMarg 3rd September 2023

Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has left for Mumbai amid the ongoing Asia Cup due to personal reasons, as per sources.

The sources also said that the bowler is expected to be back in time for the Super Stage of the tournament, starting from September 6 onwards. Pace veteran Mohammed Shami, who did not play in the first clash against Pakistan at Kandy, could replace him during the match against Nepal.

Bumrah had just made his international cricket return after over 10 months from injury during India’s T20I series against Ireland as a captain. Not only he led a young Indian team to a series win, but also displayed amazing fitness and rhythm, taking four wickets in two matches, with the best figures of 2/15.

India will take on Nepal in their Asia Cup clash at Kandy. In Group A, Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage with three points following a win over Nepal and a washout against arch-rivals India, which caused them to share a point each. Now India (1 point) and Nepal (0 points) have to win this match to qualify for the Super Four stage.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).

Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Pratish GC, Mousom Dhakal, Sundeep Jora, Kishore Mahato, Arjun Saud. (ANI)

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I Liked Rohit’s Wicket Better: Afridi In Asia Cup 2023

By LokMarg 2nd September 2023

After dismantling India’s top batting order in the Asia Cup clash, Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi believes that India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s wickets were crucial for them but he liked Men in Blue skipper’s wicket.

Afridi was the wrecker-in-chief as he dismantled India’s top order and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.

“That was our plan with the new ball. I think both (Virat and Rohit) were crucial wickets, every batter is the same for me. But I think I liked Rohit’s wicket better. The plans by our fast bowlers worked. Naseem is bowling at 150 kph, really happy with that, he’s really fast. The new ball might swing and seam, but nothing much after that. It will be easier to score runs once the ball gets old (in the run chase),” Shaheen Shah Afridi said during a post-innings presentation.

Coming to the high-octave match, Ishan Kishan’s unbridled 82 and Hardik Pandya’s blinding batting display at Pallekele helped India post 266 after Pakistan’s pacer attack dismantled Men in Blue’s top order in their Asia Cup 2023 campaign opener here at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Kishan and Pandya’s stand of 138 off 140 balls laid the foundation for India’s total of 266. Pakistan’s pacer attack was too good for the Indian batter as they bundled out Men in Blue for 266 in 48.5 overs.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi was the wrecker-in-chief as he dismantled India’s top order and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja. Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah bagged three-wicket hauls each. (ANI)

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Asia Cup: Kishan, Pandya’s Gritty Fightback Helps India Post 266 Against Pak

By LokMarg 2nd September 2023

Ishan Kishan’s unbridled 82 and Hardik Pandya’s blinding batting display at Pallekele helped India post 266 after Pakistan’s pacer attack dismantled Men in Blue’s top order in their Asia Cup 2023 campaign opener here at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi was the wrecker-in-chief as he dismantled India’s top order and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah bagged three-wicket hauls each.

Put to ball first, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam gave the new ball to Shaheen Shah Afridi and the pacer almost pulled what could have been the big breakthrough for them, however, India captain Rohit Sharma was lucky as the square leg fielder dropped the catch. The ball ran away for a four on the second delivery of the game.

Play was interrupted due to rain with India 15-0 after 4.2 overs. Rohit was decisive in his approach and made the Pakistan bowlers toil hard making merry of the excellent batting conditions on offer. On the other end, Shubman Gill took his time to settle on the pitch.

After a brief halt of half an hour due to rain, the play was resumed. India dealt with a major blow as Afridi came up with an in-swinging ripper delivery that was able to pierce through Rohit’s defence.

Rohit’s wicket invited Virat Kohli to the crease and the star batter announced himself with a classic cover drive.

Indian top-order had no answer to an impressive Afridi attack as Pakistan’s star pacer cut short Kohli’s stay at the crease. Kohli played the ball over his stumps on the good length ball from Afridi.

The ball then struck the back pad of Kohli and changed the direction to fall on the stumps, leaving India under tremendous pressure. Afridi’s lethal in-swingers sent packing Rohit and Kohli to the pavilion. The early blows saw India reeling at 30-2 after 7 overs.

The right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer then came out to bat. The right-handed Iyer and southpaw Gill kept the scoreboard ticking for India thereafter, even as the scoring rate dipped.

Iyer slammed Haris Rauf for two boundaries as he perfectly picked the gap between mid-on and mid-wicket fielders to get fours.

A miscue from Iyer launched the ball high in the air which landed straight into the hands of Fakhar Zaman, who took a sharp catch at mid-wicket off Haris Rauf’s short ball.

Rain again interrupted the play as India were at 51/3 after 11.2 overs. After a rain halt, Kishan resumed India’s innings with a six off Rauf’s delivery.

Struggling Shubman Gill, who is yearning hard to find his form failed once again to deliver with his bat in unfamiliar conditions. The 15th over ensured Gill’s struggle with the bat continued.

Rauf got better of Gill with a fuller-than-good length delivery. A groan from Gill and a loud roar from Rauf narrated the entire story of the over.

The right-handed batter Hardik Pandya then came out to bat and the latter announced his arrival with a four as he went forward and opened his bat face to guide it to the third man.

With four wickets down, Kishan did not shy away from playing attacking shots. Kishan and Pandya drove India’s innings from that point and took their team’s total beyond the 100-run mark in under 20 overs. After 20 overs of the play, India’s score read 102/4.

After halfway of the match, Pandya and Kishan steadied the sinking Indian ship and rotated the strike brilliantly, not allowing the Pakistan bowlers to settle down while whacking the loose balls on offer.

Kishan was rewarded for his fearless approach as the batter brought up his half-century in 54 runs in the pressure game. Pandya joined the party with a fine half-century in 62 balls.

The duo of Pandya-Kishan crossed the 100-run partnership stand. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking for Men in Blue against the strong Pakistan pace attack.

In the 38th over of the game, Rauf broke the massive 138-run partnership as he removed well-set batter Kishan. The India batter departed after a solid knock of 82 off 81 deliveries. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja then came out to bat.

Pandya in the 40th over, smoked Rauf for three boundaries with a deft touch, gathering 12 runs.

Afridi was brought back in the attack and the pacer bagged the important wicket of dangerous Pandya, who was near his century.

Pandya went back to the pavilion after playing a stunning knock of 87 off 90 deliveries. In the same over Afridi bagged the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja for 14.

Pakistan pacers did not let India put their feet on the ground as Naseem Shah removed Shardul Thakur for 3 in the 45th over. Jasprit Bumrah then came out to bat and started his innings aggressively against Pakistan’s pace attack.

Naseem then removed Kuldeep Yadav with a good-length delivery in the 49th over and on the fifth delivery of the game Pakistan pacer removed Bumrah to skittle out India for 266 in 48.5 overs.

Brief score: India 266 (Hardik Pandya 87, Ishan Kishan 82; Shaheen Afridi 4-35) vs Pakistan. (ANI)

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India’s Troubles Against Left-Arm Pacers Continue; Rohit, Kohli Succum To Afridi

By LokMarg 2nd September 2023

India’s struggles against left-arm pacers continued in their high-octane clash against Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2023 at Kandy, with its stalwarts once again being at the receiving end of an onslaught by left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Left-arm bowlers have been troubling Indian batters, notably at the ICC events for a decade or so. Be it Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson of Australia during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semifinals, Mohammed Amir of Pakistan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, Trent Boult of New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semifinals or Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan in group stage match of T20 World Cup 2021, Indian batters have given away wickets to these bowlers without much resistance, especially in the powerplay stage of the innings.

This same story continued during the Asia Cup clash, with Pakistan once again rocking India with some early wickets.

The first one to go was the skipper Rohit Sharma, cleaned up as he made his move against the quick ball aimed at the stumps. The skipper was out for 11. India were 15/1 in five overs.

Next up was Virat, who started off with some promise with his signature cover drive. He got a heavy inside edge as the ball hit the stumps with Shaheen maintaining his relentless pace. Virat could score runs. India were 27/2 in 6.3 overs.

The next one to go was Shreyas Iyer. Iyer. He returned to the game after an injury, made a promising start with two solid boundaries but a short delivery turned out to be his nightmare as Haris Rauf took his wicket with Fakhar Zaman taking a solid catch at deep mid-wicket. India were left reeling at 48 for 3 in 9.5 overs.

India faced another new ball collapse and Rohit and Kohli’s performance against the left-arm pacers with the new ball has come under scanner.

Since 2021, Kohli has been dismissed four times against left-arm pacers. Against them, he has managed 87 runs in 98 balls at an average of 21.75 and a strike rate of 88.77.

On the other hand, since 2021, skipper Rohit has been dismissed by left-arm pacers a total of six times. He has scored 138 runs against them in 147 balls at an average of 23, with a strike rate of 93.87 in this time period.

In total, four of these dismissals have come within the first five overs. These statistics show that India’s concerns against the moving ball, especially by the left-arm pacers, have not disappeared completely and resurface often during big matches.

India won the toss in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2023 and opted to bat in the match being played at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy in Sri Lanka.

India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Pakistan’s Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf. (ANI)

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Asia Cup: India To Play Arch-Rivals Pakistan At Kandy

By LokMarg 19th July 2023

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, on Wednesday announced the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023. The tournament will kick off on August 30, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan set to lock horns in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on September 2.

The BCCI secretary took to Twitter to make the announcement.
The tournament will follow a hybrid model, with four matches to be hosted by Pakistan and all of India’s matches and a total of nine fixtures taking place in the Emerald Isle.

The final to crown Asia’s best will be staged in Colombo.

“I am happy to announce the schedule for the highly anticipated Men’s ODI #AsiaCup2023, a symbol of unity and togetherness binding diverse nations together! Let’s join hands in the celebration of cricketing excellence and cherish the bonds that connect us all. @ACCMedia1,” tweeted Shah.

India is in Group A, which also has Pakistan and Nepal, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

The tournament will kick off with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, Pakistan. India will start their campaign against Pakistan on September 2, in Kandy. They will be playing their second group stage match at the same venue against Nepal on September 4.

Matches in the Super Four stage will start on September 6, with a clash between the A1 and B2 sides in the respective groups, at Lahore. The rest of the matches will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On September 17, the final will be held in Colombo.

The tournament will be held in a 50-over format, keeping in mind the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted in India from October 5 to November 19.

Sri Lanka are the defending Asia Cup champions, having won the title last year. They have won a total of six titles.

India have been the most successful team in the tournament’s history, with a total of 7 titles. (ANI)

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