Asia Cup venue to be decided after IPL 2023 final

The fate of the Asia Cup will be decided following the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final on Sunday (May 28) in Ahmedabad, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said. The presidents of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan will grace the event after which the venue for the tournament will be decided.

"The respective presidents of the Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka Cricket Boards will grace the Tata IPL 2023 final to be held on May 28 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. We will hold discussions with them for outlining the future course of action in relation to Asia Cup 2023," Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, said.

Previously, the BCCI has received the support from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh over having the tournament move out of Pakistan. According to reports, the UAE or Sri Lanka is tipped to host the six-team event. However, the BCCI does not favor having the multi-team affair in UAE given the harsh weather conditions, with Sri Lanka deemed the frontrunner.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi had previously proposed a hybrid model, allowing Pakistan to host the matches, with India playing their games elsewhere. However, that plan, as things stand, does not seem feasible. 

The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in September this year in the traditional 50-over format, which will feature India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Last year, the UAE hosted the tournament in August-September in a T20 format, where Sri Lanka emerged victorious.