Cricket Asia Cup likely to be staged in September        

Asia Cup, which will serve as a preparatory event for the 2026 T20 World Cup, is likely to be held in September this year at a neutral venue though the hosting rights are with India.

The last Asia Cup was held in the ODI format ahead of the 2023 fifty-over World Cup in India.

"The tournament will be held in September. India has the hosting rights but it will be played in the UAE or Sri Lanka," said a source in the Asian Cricket Council.

The highlight of the event will be the India-Pakistan contest and if they reach the final, both teams could play each other as many as three times.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, the UAE, Oman and Hong Kong will be the eight participating teams.

Though the BCCI has the hosting rights, it could go in for a neutral venue with Pakistan unlikely to travel to India given what transpired in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

India are playing all their Champions Trophy games in Dubai though the hosts are Pakistan, where Rohit Sharma's team has not travelled due to security concerns.

The next T20 World Cup is in India and Sri Lanka with the arch-rivals expected to play the marquee game in the island nation.

India are the most successful team in the continental event, capturing as many as eight titles across the two white-ball formats.