Asia Cup 2018: India Face Arch-Rivals Pakistan On September 19

Defending champions India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2018 on September 19, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday. India will open their campaign against a qualifier in Dubai on September 18. They are placed along with Pakistan and a qualifier in Group A while Group B comprises 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 28 September in Dubai.

The biennial tournament, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 15, sees Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face each other in the opening game of the tournament in Dubai.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are all confirmed participants, with the remaining spot still up for grabs among UAE, Singapore, Oman, Nepal, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Asia Cup 2018 full schedule:

Group Stage

15 September - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)

16 September - Pakistan vs Qualifier (Dubai)

17 September - Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

18 September - India vs Qualifier (Dubai)

19 September - India vs Pakistan (Dubai)

20 September - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Super Four

21 September - Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Dubai)

21 September - Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

23 September - Group A Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

23 September - Group B Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

25 September - Group A Winner vs Group B Winner (Dubai)

26 September - Group A Runner-up vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Final

28 September - Asia Cup 2018 Final (Dubai)