Asia Cup 2018 schedule announced; India to play two ODIs in two days

The schedule for 2018 Asia Cup, which is set to be played in the United Arab Emirates, has been released. The biennial tournament starts on 15th September with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka taking on each other in the opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Five teams - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - have earned a direct entry into the tournament while one of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Singapore and UAE will fight for the remaining one spot.

Teams have been divided into two groups of three - Group A consists of India, Pakistan and the qualifier while Group B has Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 stage where all the four sides will face each other once and two teams with maximum points will play the final on 28th September in Dubai.

India - who are entering the tournament as defending champions - and Pakistan will face each other on 19th September, both the sides' second and last group stage match. Surprisingly, this would be India's second One Day International in as many days as they play the qualifying team on 18th in their tournament opener.

Download the 2018 Asia Cup schedule here.

Asia Cup 2018 full schedule

Group Stage

15th September - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)

16th September - Pakistan vs Qualifier (Dubai)

17th September - Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (Abu Dhabi)

18th September - India vs Qualifier (Dubai)

19th September - India vs Pakistan (Dubai)

20th September - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Super Four

21st September - Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Dubai)

21st September - Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

23rd September - Group A Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

23rd September - Group B Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

25th September - Group A Winner vs Group B Winner (Dubai)

26th September - Group A Runner-up vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

28th September - Asia Cup 2018 Final (Dubai)

📢📢📢 The 2018 #AsiaCup schedule is here!As Asia prepares for a 💪-packed cricketing showdown, who’ll earn the bragging rights & take home the coveted 🏆? Answers coming soon, on Star Sports! pic.twitter.com/iJTwsRfAu2

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 24, 2018