The Asia Cup was founded in 1983, the same year as the Asian Cricket Council was founded, to promote goodwill among Asian nations. It had been set up from the beginning to occur once every two years. The Asia Cup is the sole continental championship in cricket, and the title of “champions of Asia” goes to the team that wins the tournament.
The Birth of The Tournament
The first tournament of the T20 Asia Cup took place in 1984 in Sharjah, which is located in the United Arab Emirates and was also the location of the council’s headquarters (until 1995). As a result of the deteriorating state of its cricketing ties with Sri Lanka, India decided to skip the competition in 1986. The ACC announced that effective from 2009, the tournament would be played every other year instead of annually.
Introduction of the T20 Format
The Asian Cricket Council was reduced in size in 2015, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared that starting in 2016, Asia Cup matches would alternate between One Day International and Twenty20 International formats in accordance with the structure of forthcoming world championships. Consequently, the 2016 competition was the first time that the T20 International format was used for the event, and it served as a warm-up tournament for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20.
Asia Cup Winners (1984-2022)
The most successful team in the series is India, which has won seven championships overall (six One-Day Internationals and one T20 International). The number of victories Sri Lanka has earned places them in second place. Sri Lanka has participated in 14 Asia Cups, followed by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, all of whom have participated in 13 tournaments. The 2022 Asia Cup was won by Sri Lanka.
| Season | Year | Winner | Won By | Runner-Up | Host |
| 15th | 2022 | Sri Lanka | 23 runs | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 14th | 2018 | India | 3 wickets | Bangladesh | UAE |
| 13th | 2016 | India | 8 wickets | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 12th | 2014 | Sri Lanka | 5 wickets | Pakistan | Bangladesh |
| 11th | 2012 | Pakistan | 2 runs | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 10th | 2010 | India | 81 runs | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka |
| 9th | 2008 | Sri Lanka | 100 runs | India | Pakistan |
| 8th | 2004 | Sri Lanka | 25 runs | India | Sri Lanka |
| 7th | 2000 | Pakistan | 39 runs | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 6th | 1997 | Sri Lanka | 8 wickets | India | Sri Lanka |
| 5th | 1995 | India | 8 wickets | Sri Lanka | UAE |
| 4th | 1990-91 | India | 7 wickets | Sri Lanka | India |
| 3rd | 1988 | India | 6 wickets | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 2nd | 1986 | Sri Lanka | 5 wickets | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 1st | 1984 | India | 54 runs | Pakistan | UAE |
Asia Cup 2022
The event was held in the United Arab Emirates, where Sri Lanka emerged victorious after defeating Pakistan in the final with 23 runs. After winning their matches against Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan in the Super-Four round, Sri Lanka was the only team to go to the final without suffering a loss. With an undefeated knock of 71 off 45 balls, Bhanuka Rajapaksa was voted Man of the Series. At the same time, Player of the Series went to Wanindu Hasaranga, who took 9 wickets in 6 games, making him the second-highest wicket-taker. He scored 66 runs in 5 innings.
At the beginning of the Asia Cup, Pakistan got off to a mediocre start, losing to India in the group stage, beating India in a tight match and Afghanistan in the super four, but then losing both of their games against Sri Lanka. Overall, it was a disappointing performance. India entered the tournament as one of the favourites when they defeated Pakistan; however, they could not win critical matches during the super 4 and were eliminated from the game.
Conclusion
The Asia Cup is a great event to watch. It gains popularity every year not only among people from Asian countries but also among people all over the world.