The Asia Cup tournament is all set to kick off its 15th edition on August 27 in the United Arab Emirates. Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan in the opening clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, however, got postponed due to the COVID-10 virus.
The Asia Cup fifteenth edition was rescheduled to take place in June 2021, before being postponed again to 2022. It was finally decided to host the tournament in 2022 in Sri Lanka, but the economic turmoil in the island nation forced the board to shift the venue. The tournament will finally get underway after a long gap between the previous and the upcoming edition this year.
Over the years, the tournament has witnessed several champions lifting the trophy. While the tournament has been dominated by India since its inaugural edition, Sri Lanka and the other teams have also performed well. On that note, let’s take a look at the past winners of the Asia Cup tournament:
#List of Asia Cup winners from the inaugural to the recent edition
1984, United Arab Emirates: India
The United Arab Emirates hosted the first edition of the Rothmans Asia Cup in 1984. The tournament took place between just three teams: India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. India won the tournament, under the leadership of Sunil Gavaskar, as they topped the points table. They won both their matches, securing eight points in the tournament, to be crowned champions.
Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna won the Player of the Tournament award. He was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 107 runs in two matches. Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri was the leading wicket-taker, with four wickets to his name.
1986, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka
The second edition of the Asia Cup took place in Sri Lanka in 1986. India pulled out of the tournament due to strained cricketing relations with Sri Lanka. In their absence, the hosts along with Pakistan and Bangladesh participated in the tournament.
Sri Lanka won the tournament under Duleep Mendis after they defeated Pakistan in the finals by five wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo. Arjuna Ranatunga was the Player of the tournament, with 105 runs, while Pakistan spinner Abdul Qadir was the leading wicket-taker with nine wickets.
1988, Bangladesh: India
Team India made a fantastic comeback to the Asia Cup in 1988 after missing the previous edition. They defeated Sri Lanka in the finals by six wickets at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. Dilip Vengsarkar was the Indian skipper during the championship. Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu won the Player of the tournament, while Arshad Ayub took nine wickets to play an instrumental role in India’s win.
1990-91, India: India
The 1990-91 edition of the Asia Cup took place in India. Pakistan pulled out of the tournament due to strained political relations with India. The hosts won their second consecutive title this edition. They defeated Sri Lanka in the finals by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta under Mohammed Azharuddin’s leadership. This was India’s third Asia Cup title. Kapil Dev was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets to his name.
1995, United Arab Emirates: India
The Indian team made a hat-trick of titles by winning the Asia Cup 1995 edition. The tournament was supposed to take place in 1993, however, was canceled due to strained political relations between India and Pakistan. The Mohammed Azharuddin-led team won their fourth Asia Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka in the finals by eight wickets.
1997, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka
1997, which was the sixth edition of the Asia Cup took place in Sri Lanka. Under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga, the hosts clinched the trophy for the second time. They defeated defending champions India by eight wickets in the finals at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Ranatunga led his team from the front as he ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer, with 272 runs, and won the Player of the tournament.
2000, Bangladesh: Pakistan
Pakistan won their maiden Asia Cup title in 2000 when they defeated Sri Lanka by 39 runs in the final under Moin Khan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. Yousuf Yohana was the leading scorer in the tournament averaging 147.50 with 295 runs, including a century and a couple of fifties. Meanwhile, Abdul Razzaq was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
2004, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka
Marvan Atapattu led Sri Lanka to their third Asia Cup title in 2004 at their home. This was the first time that the four test-playing Asian nations participated in the tournament along with, leading Asian associate nations, the UAE and Hong Kong. Sri Lanka topped Group A as well as the Super four group. They defeated India in the finals by 25 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
2008, Pakistan: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka defended their Asia Cup title in 2008 under the captaincy of Mahela Jayawardena. They again defeated India in the finals, this time by 100 runs at the National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan. Ajantha Mendis won the Player of the Tournament as he took 17 wickets, while Sanath Jayasuriya scored 378 runs and was the leading run-scorer.
2010, Sri Lanka: India
Team India clinched their fifth Asia Cup title in 2010. They finished second in the points table with nine points. In the finals, India defeated the hosts Sri Lanka in the finals by 81 runs at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla. Wicket-keeper batter MS Dhoni was the Indian skipper in the tournament.
2012, Bangladesh: Pakistan
In an exciting final, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by two runs at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Mirpur Thana. They won win their second Asia Cup title in 2012, under the leadership of Misbah-ul-Haq. Pacer Umar Gul was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets.
2014, Bangladesh: Sri Lanka
Skipper Angelo Mathews won the fifth Asia Cup title for Sri Lanka in 2014. They defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the finals at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Lahiru Thirimanne was the Player of the Tournament and the leading run-scorer with 279 runs.
2016, Bangladesh: India
Indian skipper MS Dhoni won his second Asia Cup title as the leader in 2016. India defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in the final match to clinch the first-ever T20I version of the tournament. The finals took place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka. This was India’s sixth Asia Cup title since the inaugural season.
2018, UAE: India
The Indian team defended their Asia Cup title continuing their brilliant run in the tournament over the years. This was their seventh title, defeating Bangladesh in the finals by three wickets at the Dubai International Stadium. This was the most recently held Asia Cup edition.
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