The much-anticipated Asia Cup 2023 is set to begin on August 30 with a match between Pakistan and Nepal serving as the opening match of the competition. Instead of the previous T20I edition, the continental event will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka under a hybrid model and will be contested in the One Day International (ODI) format.
It's important to note that Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup final, winning by 23 runs in Dubai, and will defend their title in that competition. Here's all you need to know about the tournament and how to watch the matches live from anywhere in the world.
Asian Cricket Powers Lock Horns
There will be six teams competing in the Asia Cup in 2023: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. All of these teams will be split into groups of two, and after the first round, the team with the lowest standing in each group will be eliminated, while the other four teams will move on to the Super Four round.
Each of the four teams will play each other once in a round-robin format during the Super Four stage. The final, which will feature the top two teams from this stage, will take place on September 17 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
With such a thrilling contest on the cards, the captains of all six participating teams will be determined to lead their nation to victory.
Babar Azam will captain the Pakistani team in the continental event, while Rohit Sharma will represent India. The seasoned Shakib al Hasan will lead Bangladesh, followed by Rohit Paudel for Nepal, Dasun Shanaka for Sri Lanka, and Hashmatullah Shahidi for Afghanistan.
TEAM GROUPS
Group A – Pakistan, India and Nepal
Group B – Sri Lanka Bangladesh and Afghanistan
SCHEDULE
August 30: Pakistan vs Nepal, Multan, 3:30 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
August 31: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele, 1 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 2: Pakistan vs India, Pallekele, 1 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 3: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Lahore, 1:30 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 4: India vs Nepal, Pallekele, 1 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 5: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Lahore, 3:30 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 6: A1 vs B2, Lahore, 3:30 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 9: B1 vs B2, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 10: A1 vs A2, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 12: A2 vs B1, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 14: A1 vs B1, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 15: A2 vs B2, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
September 17: TBC vs TBC, Colombo, 2 PM IST, 5:30 AM EST
HOW TO LIVESTREAM
India: Star Sports and Disney+Hotstar
USA: Willow TV, ESPNandDiscovery Plus website
Pakistan: PTV Sports, Ten Sports
Bangladesh: Gazi TV, T Sports
Sri Lanka: SLRC Channel Eye
UK: TNT Sport 1
Australia: Fox Sports and FOXTel app
Afghanistan: Ariana Television
