Asia Cup Champions: Year-Wise Winners List

Since its start in 1984, the Asia Cup—Asia's own cricketing tournament—has served as a desired destination for intense rivalries, thrilling milestones, and unforgettable finals. Like all things cricket, the Asia Cup is the only continental championship where cricketing giants in the Asian region (i.e., India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan) compete for regional supremacy. The Asia Cup has shifted between both ODI and T20 formats in the previous editions, making the tournament even more exhilarating and unpredictable for fans around the globe.

Over the course of the history of the Asia Cup, there are three teams that continued to dominate the history of the tournament (India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan). India sits on top of the pile in the most championships earned category, and if you break it down between both formats, India consistently shows an ability to win. Sri Lanka sits behind India with six total championships, which shows that they also have committed to this region's tradition of winning finals matches. When you turn attention to Pakistan, while they have not been consistent winners of the Asia Cup, they are still able to mark down their spot in history. Bangladesh and Afghanistan have not yet won a title and continue to compete for their first championship, which adds even more excitement every new edition!

Asia Cup Winners By Year

• 1984 - India
  India claimed their first Asia Cup title, in Sharjah (UAE), with Sunil Gavaskar as their captain.
• 1986 - Sri Lanka
  Sri Lanka recorded their first Asia Cup title by winning the final against Pakistan in Colombo.
• 1988 - India
  India added to their Asia Cup pedigree by winning their second title.
• 1990-91 - India
  Sri Lanka's Asia Cup success was eclipsed by India, who added their third crown in total and second consecutive title.
• 1995 - India
  Consistent performances secured India their fourth Asia Cup title.
• 1997 - Sri Lanka 
  Sri Lanka, on the back of strong home performances across the tournament, recorded their second title.
• 2000 - Pakistan
  Pakistan entered into the arena, winning their first Asia Cup title against Sri Lanka in a nail-biting final in Dhaka.
• 2004 - Sri Lanka
  The island nation lifted their third title on home soil by beating India in the final.
• 2008 - Sri Lanka
  Unbelievable batting performances from all batsmen led Sri Lanka to their fourth Asia Cup title in Pakistan.
• 2010 – India  
  India won their fifth title against Sri Lanka in the final at Dambulla.
• 2012 – Pakistan  
  The second edition of the tournament took place in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, where it only brought with it a trophy won narrowly by Pakistan.
• 2014 – Sri Lanka  
  Sri Lanka won their fifth title by winning the final against Pakistan held at Dhaka.
• 2016 – India (T20)  
  India won the Asia Cup in its first T20 format in Bangladesh.
• 2018 – India  
  India won their seventh title, finishing on the last ball against Bangladesh in Dubai.
• 2022 – Sri Lanka (T20)  
  Sri Lanka won their first T20 Asia Cup in Dubai, defeating Pakistan in a final.
• 2023 – India  
  With India winning the Asia Cup for the eighth time, India continues its reign at the top.

See Also: Know dates, timings, and venues of all matches in Asia Cup 2025

Will we see a new champion in the T20 Asia Cup 2025?

The Asia Cup has been largely dominated by just three giants in cricket—India (8 titles), Sri Lanka (6 titles), and Pakistan (2 titles). The boards of these three nations played a huge hand in forming the tournament, and they seemed to determine some decision-making in how and why the Asia Cup takes place. Yet as Bangladesh and Afghanistan have emerged as increased forces in the men's game, we have at least seen some increased energy and interest in this tournament by those two nations. Both teams have made finals or forced the bigger names in international cricket to play hard to win, but neither has been able to finish. The T20 Asia Cup 2025 offers another golden opportunity for either of these teams to shake loose the monopolistic grip of the familiar champion and create history. 

The unpredictability of T20 cricket leaves the door wide open for new outcomes. In Bangladesh's case, they have some experience, albeit not enough, as cricket is now becoming a "big stage" game. With plenty of talent and world-class spinners and fearless batters, Afghanistan can also cause some quick devastation. If either of these teams can control their nerves in a knockout stage match, then watch out for the heartbreak of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India, as it may be their turn to hand over the trophy to a new champion. And in that moment, all cricket fans will be waiting for the question—"Will we see the same winner again (India, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan) or a new winner in 2025?"