T20 in Asia Cup: History and winners

Overview

• The first-ever Asia Cup took place in 1984 between India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in UAE's Sharjah
• Two editions of the Asia Cup have been played in the T20 format before the T20 World Cup
• India and Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in the T20 formats in 2016 and 2022, respectively

The first-ever Asia Cup took place in 1984 between India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in UAE's Sharjah. Two editions of the Asia Cup have been played in the T20 format before the T20 World Cup. India and Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in the T20 formats in 2016 and 2022, respectively.

India won the first-ever Asia Cup in UAE by beating Sri Lanka in the final in 1984. The tournament was more of a tri-series, which was sposnored by Rothmans, after which it was named. Over the years, several editions of the tournament have taken place and has a rich history with some of the top teams in the world taking part in it.

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The Asia Cup is usually held once in two years barring exceptions. In 2007, the first-ever T20 World Cup took place, which catalyzed the globalization of the sport. The Asia Cup witnessed a major change in its format, as the authorities considered the introduction of the T20 format whenever a T20 World Cup approaches.

List of teams to have won the Asia Cup in the T20 format

The first such experiment took place in 2016, when Bangladesh hosted the Asia Cup in T20s. The final took place between the hosts and India in a rain-affected game, which further reduced the match to 15 overs per side. India beat Bangladesh in the final by 8 wickets and clinched the title.

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The Asia Cup did not take place from 2018 to 2022 due to the pandemic. Hence, there was no Asia Cup before the T20 World Cup 2021. However, the second T20 Asia Cup took place in 2022, which was hosted in the UAE. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final by 23 runs to win the title.