Asia Cup Predictions 2023

Asia Cup is going to start on 30 August 2023. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are going to co-host this time. However, Pakistan was going to host the tournament, but the Modi regime has mixed politics into sports. Now, we are at the hybrid model where Pakistan and Sri Lanka will host 4 and 9 matches of this tournament, respectively.

Read: Asia Cup schedule PDF.

This Asia Cup will be filled with a lot of action this time. All the teams are looking good. Whether it is Afghanistan or Nepal, the players are pumped up.

Read: Asia Cup Points Table

So the real question is, who will win the trophy? Continue reading to know what our prediction is.

ACC Asia Cup Predictions – Who is going to win Asia Cup 2023?

Who will win the tournament? We are all speculating things like these from the day news started coming out on this topic. All the teams are well-versed in the art this time. Pakistan has had one of the most stable squads for a while. India is India.

Check: Asia Cup Commentary Panel

Bangladesh is in hopes of making a comeback. Sri Lanka is in good momentum after playing the world cup qualifier. Afghanistan is soaring high with players like Rashid Khan.

And Nepal has made its first entry to the tournament.

There are 6 teams, 13 matches, and 2 host countries. But there is only going to be one team who is going to rule the Asian Continent. Who will it be?

Let’s go team by team and discuss their key players and past performances in the ODI format. It will help us get a clear picture in the end.

Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the top teams in this continent. Having won the Asia Cup multiple times, it has a good track record in these conditions. They are also the hosts this time. You all already know the context; Pakistan is an unpredictable team. Mix that with the emotions of millions of fans who are furious about the hosting rights.

Related: Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

To make a rational decision, we need to see the following things.

Key players

Babar, Rizwan, and Fakhar are going to be their key batters. Especially Babar and Rizwan are in their top form. Both players will go for the kill. But the x-factor is Fakhar. You never know when he will start beating the bowlers mercilessly.

In the bowling department, fans anticipate a lot from Shaheen and Naseem. But Shadab can be that missing link in the lower order who can do some clean hitting and give Pakistan the much-needed runs.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
New Zealand	Pakistan	6 wickets
New Zealand	New Zealand	79 runs
New Zealand	New Zealand	2 wickets
New Zealand	Pakistan	5 wickets
New Zealand	Pakistan	7 wickets
New Zealand	Pakistan	26 runs
New Zealand	Pakistan	102 runs
New Zealand	New Zealand	47 runs

Pakistan played all of their recent ODI matches against the Black Caps. Out of 8 ODI matches this year, they won 5. Things are looking good.

India

Team India is one of the strongest ODI sides in this tournament. They have the best players when it comes to batting. But can their bowling be up to the mark? The spin tracks will make them heavily reliant on Ashwin and Jadeja.

Check: Indian Squad for Asia Cup 2023

And that brings us to who will be the key player for the Blue Shirts.

Key players

This goes without saying; one of their key players will be Virat Kohli. He emerged as the match-winner for the national side, winning matches from crucial stages, taking the lead, and leading by example. If Virat gets a grip on the bat, there is no chance any bowler will go unscathed.

The next arsenal they have is the opener Rohit Sharma. Although much has been said about his captaincy, his batting will win you matches.

But the man you must watch out for the most is Shubham Gil. His explosive stats show that he is not going to sit idly.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
Sri Lanka	India	67 runs
Sri Lanka	India	4 wickets
Sri Lanka	India	317 runs
New Zealand	India	12 runs
New Zealand	India	8 wickets
New Zealand	India	90 runs
Australia	India	5 wickets
Australia	Australia	10 wickets
Australia	Australia	21 runs
West Indies	India	5 wickets
West Indies	West Indies	6 wickets
West Indies	India	200 runs

Things are looking good for the Indian team as well. They have won against quality teams,

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is going through a rough patch right now. They had to play the world cup qualifiers this time. Although they had a satisfactory performance and won the tournament easily, this isn’t what we are used to seeing from them.

Read: Sri Lanka squad for Asia Cup.

The Lankas said goodbye to many veteran players in the last decade. This has hurt them. But it seems there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Key players

Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal are one of their experienced batters right now. Their performance is crucial for the team. But they aren’t enough. It will be interesting to see how Hasaranga plays as well. With home conditions in mind, Kusal Mendis is a great addition to the team. Let’s see how things play out for the team.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
India	India	67 runs
India	India	4 wickets
India	India	317 runs
New Zealand	New Zealand	198 runs
New Zealand	New Zealand	6 wickets
Afghanistan	Afghanistan	6 wickets
Afghanistan	Sri Lanka	132 runs
Afghanistan	Sri Lanka	9 wickets
UAE	Sri Lanka	175 runs
Oman	Sri Lanka	10 wickets
Ireland	Sri Lanka	133 runs
Scotland	Sri Lanka	82 runs
Netherlands	Sri Lanka	21 runs
Zimbabwe	Sri Lanka	9 wickets
West Indies	Sri Lanka	8 wickets
Netherlands	Sri Lanka	128 runs

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a side that has emerged to be a decent team recently. They used to play qualifiers and were a 2nd tier team at best. But after their home tours in 2016, things have changed. But these things will revert if they do not find replacements for their veteran players.

Check: Bangladesh team for Asia Cup.

And this brings us to who will be their key players this time.

Key players

Bangladesh has a lot of players that it relies on. But they will end up like Sri Lanka if they do not find a replacement on time.

These veteran and key players in the squad are Shakib and Mushfiq. We all saw how the Bangladesh squad suffered when Shakib couldn’t play for them. His allrounder abilities have made him one of the best in the world.

Mushfiq and Litton Das are their best men regarding middle and top order, respectively. However, they will reply on spinners like Mehdi for taking wickets and controlling runs.

But things can change if Mustafizur can shift his gears and cause problems for the batters with the new ball.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
England	England	3 wickets
England	England	132 runs
England	Bangladesh	50 runs
Ireland	Bangladesh	183 runs
Ireland	no result	–
Ireland	Bangladesh	10 wickets
Ireland	no result	–
Ireland	Bangladesh	3 wickets
Ireland	Bangladesh	5 runs
Afghanistan	Afghanistan	17 runs
Afghanistan	Afghanistan	142 runs
Afghanistan	Bangladesh	7 wickets

Afghanistan

The Afghans have emerged as the best team regarding the shorter game format. But can they produce the same results in ODIs? They are a fairly new team, and it takes some time to understand how to steer their way in a 50-overs game against the big guns like India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Read: Afghanistan team for Asia Cup.

Key players

Afghanistan has to count on the best of the best regarding the game’s longer format. This means that all the burden comes on the shoulders of Rashid and Nabi. Rahmanullah Gurbaz can make contributions as well. But it all comes down to assessing the situation, which comes with experience.

Rashid is their best spinner, and he will be lethal in Asia Cupp and the world cup. Mohammad Nabi can control the runs in the middle overs. But he can take those wickets as well.

The Sunrisers boys contributed the most when their franchise won the IPL. Can they do it again.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
Sri Lanka	Afghanistan	6 wickets
Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka	132 runs
Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka	9 wickets
Bangladesh	Afghanistan	17 runs
Bangladesh	Afghanistan	142 runs
Bangladesh	Bangladesh	7 wickets

Nepal

Nepal is going to play the Asia Cup for the first time. They qualified for the spot after winning the ACC Men’s Premier Cup. Nepal has been grouped with India and Pakistan in the group stage. That tells you a lot about the competition they will face this time.

Check: Nepal team for Asia Cup.

Key players

Rohit and Kusal showed some serious talent when it came to batting. They are going to be crucial in the tournament. But when it comes to bowling, the leggie Sandeep will be lethal. We have discussed how he will be an arch nemesis for Babar and Kohli. Let’s see how things play out for him.

Recent ODI record

Opposition	Winner	Margin
Namibia	Nepal	2 wickets
Scotland	Nepal	3 wickets
Namibia	Nepal	3 wickets
Scotland	Nepal	2 wickets
P.N.G.	Nepal	4 wickets
U.A.E.	U.A.E.	68 runs
P.N.G.	Nepal	3 wickets
U.A.E.	Nepal	42 runs
P.N.G.	Nepal	52 runs
U.A.E.	Nepal	177 runs
P.N.G.	Nepal	9 wickets
U.A.E.	Nepal	9 runs
Oman	Nepal	84 runs
U.A.E.	Nepal	7 wickets
Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe	8 wickets
U.S.A.	Nepal	6 wickets
West Indies	West Indies	101 runs
Netherlands	Netherlands	7 wickets
U.A.E.	Nepal	3 wickets
Ireland	Ireland	2 wickets

Parting thoughts

Pakistan and India will be the tournament’s finalists. Sri Lanka can be a dark horse here. But how both India and Pakistan have performed in the ODI format, and how they both have bared their fans even before the Asia Cup and the World Cup have started, it is impertinent that both teams will give their all and compete for the trophy this time.

Even Rahul Dravid has said that the chances of both teams coming head-to-head thrice are high.

Choosing one team is difficult. Hence, we will keep it at the finalists for now. But we will come back and update you regarding our predictions.

Until next time, bye.