Dubai, Jul 25 (IANS): Defending champions India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19, the day after the Virat Kohli-led side open their Asia Cup 2018 campaign against a yet-to-be-confirmed qualifier here, the ICC announced the schedule late on Tuesday.
Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the opener of the biennial tournament, that runs from September 15 to 28, according to a statement from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are all confirmed participants, with the remaining spot still up for grabs amongst hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Oman, Nepal, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Group A consists of India, Pakistan and the qualifier while Group B comprises of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 and two teams will then play the final on September 28 here.