SRI LANKA, one of Asia's top cricket-playing nations, have withdrawn as a host for the Asia Cup tournament in August-September citing its ongoing crisis.
According to reports, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the island-nation's cricket-governing body, told the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) about its inability to host the contest which will feature six teams, including arch-rivals India and Pakistan. The ACC had announced last October that Sri Lanka would host this year's edition.
Sri Lankan media reported that the SLC told the ACC about its decision saying it is "not in a position" to organise the tournament, which will be played in T20 format, due to its political and economic problems. Sri Lanka is in the middle of an unprecedented economic crisis after its foreign reserves tanked and former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country. On Wednesday (20), the country's parliament elected former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as its new president.
Sri Lanka, who hosted Australia for a full-fledged series recently and are currently hosting Pakistan for two-Test series, recently postponed the third edition of the Lanka Premier League because of the ongoing crisis.
The Pakistan Cricket Board recently said it would want Sri Lanka to keep its hosting rights for the Asia Cup despite the problems as it ensure earning of revenues for the host nation.
The alternative host has not been finalised yet. Among the contenders are the United Arab Emirates which had hosted the 2018 edition and also India, the defending champions who have won the tournament the most number of times -- seven.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images