The decks were finally cleared yesterday for the Asia Cup as BCCI officially handed over its hosting rights to the Emirates Cricket Board. The agreement was signed in Dubai with the BCCI being represented by its acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and CEO Rahul Johri. The chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, signed on their behalf.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take part in the tournament. They will be joined by a sixth team — the winner of the Asian Cricket Council qualifier. The tournament will be held from September 15 to 28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The event was originally scheduled in India with BCCI playing the hosts but Pakistan's participation was an issue considering the prevailing political situation between the neighbouring countries.