Why India And Pakistan Have Never Faced Each Other In Asia Cup Final? | Cricket News

Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 18:21 IST

Despite being the two most successful cricket teams from Asia, India and Pakistan have never faced each other in the final of the Asia Cup in the 16 editions played so far.

India and Pakistan are the two most successful teams in international cricket from Asia. While India have won 183 Tests, 567 ODIs and 170 T20Is so far, Pakistan have emerged victorious in 151 Tests, 521 ODIs and 156 T20Is. In terms of trophies, India have won two ODI World Cups (in 1983 and 2011), two T20 World Cups (in 2007 and 2024) and three Champions Trophy titles (2013, 2025 and one shared with Sri Lanka in 2002), whereas Pakistan have won one ODI World Cup (in 1992), one T20 World Cup (in 2009) and one Champions Trophy (2017).

In the Asia Cup, India have won eight titles so far, whereas Pakistan have finished as champion two times.

But despite being two of the top teams from Asia, India and Pakistan have never faced each other in the final of the Asia Cup. And in the last 41 years, a total of 16 editions of the Asia Cup have been played.

India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup (ODIs and T20Is combined)

In the first edition of the Asia Cup, which was played between three teams – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – in 1984, Team India bagged the title under Sunil Gavaskar’s leadership by winning both their round-robin matches. Sri Lanka finished second with one win, and Zaheer Abbas-led Pakistan finished third after losing both their fixtures.

In the second edition of the Asia Cup, which was played from March 30 to April 6 in 1986, India didn’t participate due to strained cricket relations with Sri Lanka, who was the host of the tournament.

In the 1988 edition of the Asia Cup, four teams – India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh – faced each other once in the league stage, and after finishing in the top two, India and Sri Lanka progressed to the final. In the summit clash, Navjot Singh Sidhu’s 76-run knock helped the Dilip Vengsarkar-led side win the title for the second time in four years.

India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 

In the 1990-1991 edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in India and won by India as well under Mohammad Azharuddin’s leadership, Pakistan didn’t participate due to strained political relations with India.

In 1995, India and Pakistan were almost certain to face each other in the Asia Cup final for the first time ever, but the Moin Khan-led side suffered a shocking defeat by five wickets against Sri Lanka in the last league match, which knocked them out of the final race. Pakistan, like India and Sri Lanka, finished with four points each, but due to an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR), they finished third.

In 1997, Sri Lanka topped the league table by winning all three matches, and India finished second despite having the same points as Pakistan due to a better NRR and qualified for the final.

In 2000, India could only manage to win one match out of the three and failed to qualify for the final. On the other hand, Moin Khan-led Pakistan won all three league matches. They then went on to win the title for the first time ever by getting the better of Sri Lanka by 39 runs in the final.

India and Pakistan’s performance in Asia Cup

A total of six teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the UAE – participated in the 2004 edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in Sri Lanka. Pakistan topped their group, and India finished second in theirs to qualify for the Super Fours. But in the Super Fours stage, despite winning two matches like India and Sri Lanka and even having a better NRR than India, Pakistan finished third due to 0 bonus points in comparison to India’s 2 and Sri Lanka’s 3.

The 2008 edition of the Asia Cup was staged in Pakistan, and again six teams, which were divided into two groups of three each, faced each other for the top prize. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh qualified for the Super Fours, and Pakistan once again failed to qualify for the final despite winning two matches like India and Sri Lanka and having a better net run rate than India. India carried two more points than Pakistan from the group stage, which helped him progress to the final.

In 2010, the tournament once again featured four teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and all of them faced each other once in the league stage. Pakistan could only manage to win one match, and as a result, they finished third, and India and Sri Lanka, for the third edition in a row, played against each other in the final, but this time, it was India’s turn to lift the trophy under MS Dhoni’s leadership.

In 2012, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh won two out of three league stage matches, but due to one extra bonus point, Pakistan topped the league table, and Bangladesh pipped India for a second-place finish due to a better net run rate.

Afghanistan made their Asia Cup debut in 2014 when the tournament was played in Bangladesh. MS Dhoni’s side could only manage to win two out of four league matches and, as a result, finished third in the table behind Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who then faced each other in the final.

In 2016, Bangladesh once again hosted the Asia Cup, but this time, the tournament was played in T20I format. India won all four league matches to qualify for the final, and Pakistan finished third with two wins. In the summit clash, India then hammered Bangladesh by 8 wickets to lift the trophy.

The Rohit Sharma-led side won the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup. In that tournament, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan qualified for the Super Fours. India topped the Super Fours table with 5 points (2 wins and 1 tie) to qualify for the final, whereas Pakistan finished third with 2 points (1 win and 2 defeats).

In the 2022 Asia Cup, which was also played in the T20I format, India lost against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in back-to-back Super Four matches, and as a result, they failed to qualify for the finals.

In the last edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in 2023, India topped the Super Fours table with 4 points, whereas Pakistan finished last with just two points. In the summit clash, the Rohit Sharma-led side bowled Sri Lanka out for 50 runs and then won the match by 10 wickets.

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