On Tuesday, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) released the full-fledged schedule for the 2022 Asia Cup. The continental tournament will kick off with a match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on 27 August. India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the second match on 28 August. The Men in Blue will then take on the Qualifier team on 31 August. The final will be played on 11 September.
Notably, a total of six teams will take part in the 15th edition of the continental tournament. While India, Pakistan, and the winner of the Qualifier have been put in Group A, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are placed in Group B.
A total of six matches will be played in the Group stage where every team will play one match each against their two group members. The top two teams from both Group A and Group B will progress to the Super 4 stage. All the teams will once again play against each other in the round-robin format. The top two teams in the Super 4 stage will then progress to the Final and will play against each other on 11 September to decide the new champion.
India will be entering the tournament as hot favorites having won the tournament as many as seven times. The Men in Blue are also the defending champions. Sri Lanka, who are also the hosts of this edition of the tournament are the second-most successful team with three titles. Pakistan, meanwhile, have managed to win three titles in fourteen editions of the game so far.
None of the five confirmed teams have announced their squads but an announcement is due soon as the deadline is reported to be 8 August. India are expected to send all their top guns for this important tournament which is also seen as a preparation for the T20 World Cup.