The Asian subcontinent is the epicentre of cricket. Every country in this region has a crazy following for the sport.
Moreover, the teams are also formidable, with ace cricketers at their disposal. So, it’s necessary to have a competitive continental tournament where the best teams from the region battle it out against each other.
And that’s how the Asia Cup comes into the picture. In this article, we’ll look at the winners of the men’s Asia Cup.
ACC Men’s Asia Cup Winners: Edition by Edition
| Edition | Format | Winner | Runner-up | Host Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | UAE |
| 1986 | ODI | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 1988 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 1991 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | India |
| 1995 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | UAE |
| 1997 | ODI | Sri Lanka | India | Sri Lanka |
| 2000 | ODI | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 2004 | ODI | Sri Lanka | India | Sri Lanka |
| 2008 | ODI | Sri Lanka | India | Pakistan |
| 2010 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka |
| 2012 | ODI | Pakistan | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 2014 | ODI | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Bangladesh |
| 2016 | T20I | India | Bangladesh | Bangladesh |
| 2018 | ODI | India | Bangladesh | UAE |
| 2022 | T20I | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | UAE |
| 2023 | ODI | India | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka and Pakistan |
In the long history of the Asia Cup, only 3 teams have laid their hands on the coveted trophy so far. We will have a look at the 3 teams winning moments in this continental tourney.
India: 8 Times | 1984, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018, & 2023
India is the most successful team in the tournament’s history, with 8 titles sitting in the trophy cabinet. India was the inaugural champions in 1984, which included 2 other teams, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The Indian team won their second title in 1988, and in the next 2 editions, they went on to complete a hat trick of winning the tournament. With that, India registered 4 Asia Cup triumphs, all against Sri Lanka in the finals.
To claim the trophy for the 5th time, India had to wait until 2010. India defeated Sri Lanka one more time in the final, after coming close to winning the whole thing in their previous 3 attempts (1997, 2004, and 2008).
India’s 6th Asia Cup victory came in the T20I format, which was used for the first time in 2016. This time, they thrashed host Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the final match.
In the 2018 edition, both teams squared off again in the final. But the result was the same as in the previous final, with India laying their hands on their 7th Asia Cup title.
After much back and forth, the 2023 edition took place jointly in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India’s pacers were the heroes of their 8th trophy, as they rattled Sri Lanka for a paltry 50 in the final. The Indian batters chased down the target with ease.
Sri Lanka: 6 Times | 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, & 2022
India’s absence in the 1986 edition helped Sri Lanka, as they won their maiden Asia Cup at home. Their second triumph came in 1997, again on their home turf, as they beat India by 8 wickets in the final.
Sri Lanka’s 3rd and 4th title triumphs came in back-to-back editions in 2004 and 2008. Both times, they thrashed India in the summit clash.
Their next Asia Cup victory came after a gap of 6 years in 2014. This time, they battled out against Pakistan in the final and registered a victory by 5 wickets.
Sri Lanka’s 6th Asia Cup win came in the T20I format held in 2022. In a low-scoring final, Sri Lanka triumphed over Pakistan to win the title.
Pakistan: 2 Times | 2000 & 2012
Despite having strong players in their squad, Pakistan took almost 7 editions to claim their first Asia Cup title in 2000. They won their maiden trophy in style, as they didn’t lose a single game in the group stage and went on to rattle Sri Lanka in the final.
Pakistan’s 2nd Asia Cup victory came after 12 years in a nail-biting final against Bangladesh. In the 2012 edition, Pakistan faced off against host Bangladesh in the summit clash. It seemed like the hosts would win the match, but Pakistan snuck a victory by 2 runs.
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