Asia Cup 2018 will be a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates in September 2018. It will be the 14th edition of the Asia Cup and the third time the tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates, after the 1984 and 1995 tournaments. India are the defending champions.
Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be played in India. It was moved to the United Arab Emirates, following ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan.
Cricket's Asia Cup has been moved from India to the UAE over Pakistan's refusal to cross the border, as relations simmer between the arch rivals, the Asian Cricket Council said on Tuesday.
Asia Cup is moved out of India to UAE and will be held from September 13th to 28th this year, Sultan Rana, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) development and event manager, told AFP.
With Pakistan and India unable to host, Bangladesh held three straight Asian Cups from 2012 to 2016. Rana said six Asian teams will compete in the 50-over Asia Cup.
"India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the five top teams while, there will be a qualifying round to select the sixth team," said Rana, a former Pakistan first class player.