Mumbai, Aug 17 (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Emirates Cricket Board signed an agreement on Friday for the United Arab Emirates to host the Asia Cup in September.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take part in the tournament. They will be joined by a sixth team represented by the winner of the Asian Cricket Council qualifier event.

The tournament will be held from September 15-28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The UAE's Minister for Culture, Youth and Social Development and the Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, signed on behalf of the ECB (Emirates Cricket Board). On behalf of the BCCI, the Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary signed the agreement. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri was also present, according to a release from BCCI.

Al Nahyan said, "It is a matter of great pride for the UAE to host a prestigious event like the Asia Cup. Our country is home to a large section of people from the participating nations and we feel privileged and excited by the opportunity to bring their favourite sport right here to their doorstep.

"This is the biggest cricketing event to be held in the UAE and we will ensure every support to make the 2018 Asia Cup a huge success."

Choudhary said: "We are thankful to the Emirates Cricket Board for hosting the 2018 Asia Cup on behalf of the BCCI.

"We will see some of the sport's powerhouse nations go head-to-head for ultimate glory and I am confident that cricket fans around the world will enjoy every moment of this prestigious event."