Asia Cup 2023: Schedule, Venue and All you need to know

Asia Cup (Source: Twitter)

The schedule for Asia Cup 2023 was announced on Wednesday. The tournament is set to begin with a match between Nepal and Pakistan in Multan. There are a total of five stadiums that will host the tournament. The matches are set to take place in Multan, Lahore, Kandy, Dambulla, and Colombo. Multan will host only one game in the tournament.

The stadium in Kandy will host 5 matches, including a couple of super four matches. Lahore will host three matches, one in the Super 4 stage. Dambulla in Sri Lanka will host three Super Four matches. The final will take place in R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. As the hybrid model is accepted by all the teams, the matches will happen in two countries – Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

India will play all its matches in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue campaign will start with a big clash against Pakistan in Kandy. India will then play Nepal again in Kandy. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal will play their matches in different stadiums. There will be a total of five break days and a day off for travel. Chartered and commercial flights will be available for the teams to travel.

Super 4 stage with fixed positions

Interestingly, a new format is added for the super 4 stage, where the teams are named beforehand. India is named as A2, Pakistan as A1, Sri Lanka as B1, and Bangladesh as B2. From Group A, if either India or Pakistan do not qualify, then Nepal will occupy their place. Similarly, if either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh fail to qualify, Afghanistan will occupy their place in Super 4.

Since it is an ODI World Cup year, the Asia Cup will be played in an ODIs format. The last time the tournament took place in 2022, the format was in T20Is, since it was a T20 World Cup year. After 5 years, Asia Cup will be played in ODI Format. The Asia Cup 2023 will act as a competitive tournament before the big ODI World Cup in India.

Asia Cup 2023 schedule –

August 30 – Pakistan vs Nepal – Multan
August 31 – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka – Kandy
September 1 – Break Day
September 2 – Pakistan vs India – Kandy
September 3 – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan – Lahore
September 4 – India vs Nepal – Kandy
September 5 – Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan – Lahore
September 6 – Super 4s – A1 vs B2 – Lahore
September 7 – Travel Day
September 8 -Break Day
September 9 – B1 vs B2 – Colombo
September 10 – A1 vs A2 – Colombo
September 11 – Break Day
September 12 – A2 vs A1 – Colombo
September 13 – Break Day
September 14 – A1 vs B1 – Colombo
September 15 – A2 vs B2 – Colombo
September 16 – Break Day
September 17 – Final – Colombo

Irrespective of their positions after first round:
– Pakistan will remain A1; India will remain A2.
– If either of them (India or Pakistan) don’t qualify, Nepal will take their position.
– Sri Lanka will remain B1; Bangladesh will remain B2.
– If either of them (Sri Lanka or Bangladesh) don’t qualify, then Afghanistan will take their position