Asia Cup History: All-time Winners and Records From 1984 to 2023
Asia Cup history is full of clashes and rivalries. Big upsets occurred between some experienced and fresh teams.
Let us examine the Asia Cup’s basis, formats, rules, and new team entries. It also covers record-breaking matches in previous years, winners, runner-up teams, and more. Asian countries established the tournament, which introduced cricket to their continent.
These teams were
- India
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
The work was started on the Asia Cup in 1983 to promote cricket in Asia. Their main aim was to make young players aware of cricket. They participated in the games. It made their reputation glorious in their countries.
Inauguration of Event
The tournament’s opening was in 1984, when members of the Asian Cricket Council played against each other. In the first year, India won the match and defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The event was hosted by the United Arab Emirates before the format was structured. At first, teams used to play matches in a one-day format. Then, they introduced the new format, T20, in the tournament.
Teams
The start of the tournament included those teams playing test matches. They changed the rule and added other associate teams that qualified for the Asia Cup. Teams that qualified for the first time were Nepal and the UAE.
The Asian council members were India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Then Afghanistan started playing, and they became permanent members of the ACC.
Format
From 1984 to 2023, the teams played a 50-over format, which is called One Day. Then they decided to organize the T20 format. It was played in 2016 and 2022, just two times in the previous years.
Now, this T20 format will be played for the 3rd time in history. Fans mostly like the T20 format because of its short playing time.
But from 1984 to 2004, the format was round robin. After that, the group stage was selected for the final.
Winners and Runners-Up
From 1984 to 2023, the winners and runners-up are listed below:
| Years | Winners | Runners-Up |
| 1984 | India | Sri Lanka |
| 1986 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
| 1988 | India | Sri Lanka |
| 1990-91 | India | Sri Lanka |
| 1995 | India | Sri Lanka |
| 1997 | Sri Lanka | India |
| 2000 | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 2004 | Sri Lanka | India |
| 2008 | Sri Lanka | India |
| 2010 | India | Sri Lanka |
| 2012 | Pakistan | Bangladesh |
| 2014 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
| 2016 | India | Bangladesh |
| 2018 | India | Bangladesh |
| 2022 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
| 2023 | India | lanka |
Record-breaking events in Asia Cup history
Batting Records
In a one-day format, the best performer in batting of all time is Sanath Jayasuriya. He is a player from Sri Lanka who made a record of 378 runs. In T20, the best performer of all time is Virat Kohli. He made 276 runs in 2016. Players made these records in the whole tournament, not in a single match. Both made history by scoring a mountain of runs.
Bowling Records
The best bowler in ODI is Ajantha Mendis. He took 17 wickets in 5 matches in a one-day tournament in 2008 for Sri Lanka. Afterward, no player could break this record. The best bowler in T20 is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He took 11 wickets in 5 matches in 2022 for India.
Overall Performance
Most Runs in Asia Cup ODI
| Player | Country | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 1,220 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 1,075 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 971 |
Most Wickets in Asia Cup ODI
| Player | Country | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 30 |
| Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 29 |
| Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 26 |
Most runs in Asia Cup T20
| Player | Country | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | India | 429 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 281 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 271 |
Most Wickets in Asia Cup T20
| Player | Country | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 13 |
| Amjad Javed | UAE | 12 |
| Al-Amin Hossain | Bangladesh | 11 |
Note: Click here to see the updated points table of the Asia Cup 2025.
Highest and Lowest Team Totals
One Day Internationals (50 Overs)
Highest Score: Pakistan 385/7 vs Bangladesh (2010)
Lowest Score: Sri Lanka 50/10 vs India (2023)
T20 Internationals (20 Overs)
Highest Score: India 212/2 vs Afghanistan (2022)
Lowest Score: Hong Kong 38/10 vs Pakistan (2022)
Historical Winners
| Teams | Matches wins | Titles |
| India | 41/64 | 8 |
| Sri Lanka | 41/67 | 6 |
| Pakistan | 32/58 | 2 |
In the history of the Asia Cup, India has won the most matches and gained the title of defender by winning 8 ACC events. After India, Sri Lanka is another outstanding team. This team has won 6 titles in the Asia Cup.
The last Asia Cup
The last event was hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2023. There were 13 matches played from August 17 to September 17. The final qualified teams were India and Sri Lanka. India won the match and became the defending champions of the Asia Cup, and Sri Lanka was the runner-up of the last Asia Cup.