The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has shifted the upcoming 50-over Asia Cup from India to United Arab Emirates (UAE) and now the tournament will be played between September 13 and 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Asia Cup 2018 will be a six-team event featuring India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. A qualifying tournament will be held between UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and Oman to determine the sixth participating nation.

The venue of Asia Cup 2018 was changed due to the ongoing political tensions between neighbours India and Pakistan. "The ACC deliberated on the matter and decided that this was the best way forward," ACC and PCB chairman Najam Sethi was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The last edition was held in the T20I format as teams wanted to prepare for the World T20, which followed the tournament. This year’s Asia Cup will take place in 50-over format with teams focusing on the next year's ODI World Cup to be held in England.

The Asia Cup 2018 will also see rivals India and Pakistan lock horns. The two teams do not play each other in bilateral series and the last time these two sides met was in the final of Champions Trophy 2017 in England.

Meanwhile, the 2018 Emerging Teams' Asia Cup (U-23 tournament) will be hosted jointly by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament was scheduled to be held in April and now will take place in December. Apparently, India U23 will play all its matches in Sri Lanka.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2018 07:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).