Asia Cup Explained: When and why the tournament switched to T20 cricket

The Asia Cup, Asia's premier continental cricket tournament, has seen several transformations since its inception in 1984. Traditionally played in the 50-over format, the event underwent a historic shift in 2016 when it was staged as a T20 International (T20I) competition for the first time.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!For its first 12 editions between 1984 and 2014, the Asia Cup remained a one-day event, with India and Sri Lanka dominating the honours with five titles each, while Pakistan secured two. The 2014 edition in Bangladesh, which saw Afghanistan make its maiden appearance, ended with Sri Lanka defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final.A year later, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was restructured by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which took over most of its development functions. While the ACC's powers were reduced, it retained responsibility for hosting the Asia Cup. Crucially, a new rotational format was announced: the tournament would alternate between ODIs and T20Is depending on the proximity to global ICC events.This decision paved the way for the 2016 edition to be played in the shortest format, aligning with the ICC World Twenty20 that followed soon after. Bangladesh hosted the tournament for the third consecutive time. The event featured five teams — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the UAE — with Afghanistan missing out.The final, played at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, saw India outclass hosts Bangladesh by eight wickets. It was a dominant campaign for MS Dhoni's men, who claimed their sixth Asia Cup crown and the first-ever T20I title in the competition's history.Since then, the Asia Cup has returned to the T20 format in 2022, and the upcoming 2025 edition will also be staged in the shortest format. The 2016 experiment thus set a new template, underlining the tournament's adaptability in a rapidly evolving cricketing landscape.