Which team has played the Asia Cup final the most times?
After some entertaining clashes in the Super 4s stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, the two finalists, India and Sri Lanka, are all set for the final. The two sides will battle for the coveted title at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 17.
India were the first nation to qualify for the final as they won their opening two Super 4s fixtures. They first thrashed Pakistan with a hefty margin of 228 runs before defending a small total against Sri Lanka.
Although the Men in Blue lost their last Super 4s encounter against Bangladesh, it was a dead rubber and the Indians had rested some of their key players.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, sealed their spot in the summit clash by a narrow margin. After their loss against India, the Islanders locked horns against Pakistan in what was a virtual semi-final on Thursday (September 14).
Their clash against Pakistan went right down to the wire before Charith Asalanka's heroics led them to a remarkable win, which sent them through to the finals.
Sri Lanka are set to feature in their 12th Asia Cup final, the most by any team in the history
![Sri Lanka have featured in 11 Asia Cup finals, while India have featured in 9 of them [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/5c4e3-16948957006064-1920.jpg?w=500)
Sri Lanka hold the distinction of featuring in the most Asia Cup finals. The Lankan unit has played in as many as 11 different final matches in the history of the Asia Cup.
Out of those 11 clashes, they have won six finals across both the ODI and T20 formats.
As far as India are concerned, the upcoming fixture will be their 10th Asia Cup final. Interestingly, despite playing two fewer finals, India have won more Asia Cup titles than Sri Lanka.
While India are the record seven-time champions of the Cup, Sri Lanka have six Asia Cup wins to their name.
It is pertinent to note that the inaugural edition of the Asia Cup (in 1984) took place in a round-robin format. Hence, the winner was decided with the most wins, and no final took place. India won both of their games in that edition to be named the inaugural winners of the tournament.
India and Sri Lanka have also faced each other in an Asia Cup final seven times in history. The Men in Blue hold a slight advantage in those fixtures, winning four of those seven finals as compared to Sri Lanka's three wins.
It remains to be seen if Sri Lanka will be able to successfully defend their Asia Cup 2022 title or if India will lift the silverware after a five-year absence.