Defending champions India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19, the day after the Rohit Sharma-led side open their Asia Cup 2018 campaign against Hong Kong, who have made the cut after playing a qualifying tournament.
Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the opener of the biennial tournament, that runs from September 15 to 28, according to a statement from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan all earned automatic qualifications for the continental tournament with Hong Kong beating hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Oman, Nepal and Malaysia to enter the main draw.
Group A consists of India, Pakistan and Hong Kong while Group B comprises of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 and two teams will then play the final on September 28.
Full Schedule of Asia Cup 2018
Asia Cup 2018 - Group Stage
- 15 September - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)
- 16 September - Pakistan vs Hong Kong (Dubai)
- 17 September - Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
- 18 September - India vs Hong Kong (Dubai)
- 19 September - India vs Pakistan (Dubai)
- 20 September - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Asia Cup 2018 - Super Four Stage
- 21 September - India vs Bangladesh (Dubai)
- 21 September - Pakistan vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
- 23 September - India vs Pakistan (Dubai)
- 23 September - Afghanistan vs Bangladesh (Abu Dhabi)
- 25 September - India vs Afghanistan (Dubai)
- 26 September - Pakistan vs Bangladesh (Abu Dhabi)
Asia Cup 2018 - Final
- 28 September - Asia Cup 2018 Final (Dubai)
Indian Team for Asia Cup 2018:
Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan (VC), KL Rahul, AT Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Kartik, Kuldip Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Y Chahal, Akshar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumra, Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed
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