Pakistan will be gunning for revenge but an unbeaten India look firm favourites to retain the Asia Cup title when the arch-rivals clash in a potentially testy final in Dubai on Sunday.

The Indian juggernaut has crushed every opposition on their path before swaggering into the final of the eight-team tournament looking every inch the reigning 20-over world champions.

Pakistan were swatted aside twice, first in the group stage and then in Super Fours, by an India team containing the world's top-ranked batter and bowler in the T20 format in opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Six-hitting machine Abhishek is also the tournament's leading scorer with 309 runs from six innings, often setting the tone of India's batting in the first six powerplay overs.

In a low-scoring tournament where only Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka managed a century, Abhishek's red-hot form at the top meant skipper Suryakumar Yadav's struggle with the bat has not really been felt.

Wily seamer Jasprit Bumrah has helped India control the powerplay overs with the ball but left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been their wrecker-in-chief leading the bowlers' chart with 13 wickets.

Fellow spinners Axar Patel and Chakravarthy have also kept it tight in the middle overs and the slew of allrounders at his disposal has left Suryakumar practically spoilt for bowling choices.

Sparks flew and tempers frayed both times India and Pakistan met in what is their first tournament since a military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

India survived a scare in Friday's dead rubber when they edged out Sri Lanka via Super Over, which should shake off any complacency that might have crept into their campaign.

"(I got) what I wanted from the boys – just to try and execute their plans, be clear and not to fear," Suryakumar said of their flawless campaign heading into the final.

"That was really important and I am sure everyone got what they wanted. Happy to be in the final."

Pakistan will naturally be motivated to avoid a third defeat to the arch-rivals in a single tournament and will take heart from their narrow victory in Thursday's virtual semifinal against Bangladesh.

"Very excited," Pakistan captain Salman Agha said of the final against India.

"We know what we need to do, and we are a good enough team to beat anyone, and we will come on Sunday and try to beat them."

India captain Suryakumar Yadav played down the hype around the cricket rivalry with Pakistan after beating their bitter rivals by six wickets in the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

India rode on a blazing 74 from opener Abhishek Sharma as they chased down a target of 172 in 18.5 overs in the Super Four clash, where they again refused to shake hands with their opponents.

It was India's second win in the Twenty20 tournament over Pakistan in a week after their group stage clash.

It was also their 12th in 15 T20 internationals.

Asked if this dominance showed that the rivalry was waning, Suryakumar replied: "You guys should stop asking questions about the rivalry between India-Pakistan.

"According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches, and if it is even, then it is a rivalry. 13-0, 10-1, I don't know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore."

Pakistan's last of three T20 wins over India came in the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2022.

India and Pakistan only play in multinational tournaments as their bilateral ties have been stalled since 2012 over political tension.

Pakistan rode on a brilliant 45-ball 58 from opener Sahibzada Farhan but managed 171-5 after romping to 93-1 in 9.3 overs.

Suryakumar said that India played better cricket as Abishek and Shubman Gill put on a rapid 105 for the opening stand in 9.5 overs.

"I think we were better than them (Pakistan), and also from a bowling point of view," said Suryakumar. "The catch drop per centage at this venue is so high and that is part and parcel of the game."

Suryakumar praised Sharma's talent.

"He knows what is required of him, what bowlers are going to bowl, that's a plus point for him. He is learning with every game," said Suryakumar of the 25-year-old left-hander.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said that his team had come up 15-20 runs short.

"We have yet to play a perfect game in this event," said Agha, whose team next faces Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

"After being 91 in 10 overs we lost way but still feel 171 was a challenging total."

Agha acknowledged that his bowlers could not control the Indian openers.

"We need to play a perfect game, do well in all three departments," said Agha. "We look forward to playing Sri Lanka in the next game."

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their Super Four match in Dubai on Saturday.

The top two teams from Super Four will play the final in Dubai on September 28.

Opener Abhishek Sharma hit a blazing 74 as India beat Pakistan by six wickets and again refused to shake hands with their opponents in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup on Sunday.

Chasing 172 for victory, India rode on a 105-run opening stand between Abhishek and Shubman Gill, who made 47, to achieve their target with seven balls to spare in Dubai.

The rivals came into the contest of the regional tournament with tensions high after India angered Pakistan by also refusing to shake hands when the pair met in the group stage.

Tempers flared on the field when Gill and Shaheen Afridi exchanged simmering glances after the batter hit the pace bowler for a boundary.

Both Abhishek and Gill came out roaring with a flurry of boundaries to unsettle the Pakistan attack as they raced to 101-0 in 9 overs.

Abhishek and Haris Rauf kept up the spice with a lively exchange.

Medium-pace bowler Faheen Ashraf bowled Gill, and Rauf in the next over took down India skipper Suryakumar Yadav for a duck to check India's surge.

Abhishek fell to Abrar Ahmed's leg spin after his 35-ball blitz laced with six fours and five sixes.

Rauf took one more wicket but Tilak Varma, with his unbeaten 30 off 19 balls, steered the team home off a six and a four.

India won the toss and fielded first, but Pakistan came out attacking as Sahibzada Farhan, who hit 58, and Saim Ayub, who made 21, put on 72 runs for the second wicket, to help their team reach 171-5.

India beat Pakistan in their group match, which was the first cricketing clash between the rival nations since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead.

Andy Pycroft turned out as match referee for the Super Four match in spite of Pakistan lodging a protest with the International Cricket Council, alleging that the Zimbabwean had told skipper Salman Agha not to approach Suryakumar for a handshake.

The Pakistan Cricket Board demanded that Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team T20 competition.

Because of fraught political ties, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan only meet at neutral venues during multi-team tournaments.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the other teams in the Super Four. The top two will move into the final on September 28.

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India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Half-centuries by Towhid Hridoy (58) and Saif Hassan (61) powered Bangladesh to an exciting four-wicket win in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup against former champions Sri Lanka in Dubai on Saturday.

Having been rolled over by Sri Lanka in the first round, Bangladesh got their act together after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first.

Bangladesh required 10 runs off 10 balls with seven wickets in hand but the dismissal of Hridoy spiced things up. He was trapped leg before by Dushmantha Chameera in the 19th over and Dasun Shanaka then struck twice in the last over to keep the contest alive.

In the end, tail-ender Nasum Ahmed scampered a cheeky single to cover off the penultimate ball to see Bangladesh home.

Their bowlers had set it up by limiting Sri Lanka to 168 for seven on a belter of a track and thanks to Hridoy and Hassan, Bangladesh crossed the line with one delivery to spare.

Sri Lanka could have been bundled out for much less but three spilt catches let them off the hook. In the end, the drops didn't hurt as the chase looked comfortable.

Hassan provided an electric start, making the most of the powerplay with 61 off 45 balls studded with two fours and four sixes. Hridoy ensured they didn't waste the opportunity, posting 58 off 37 with four fours and two sixes. In the process he brought up 1000 T20I runs.

Sri Lanka rued being a bowler short as part-timers filled in four overs and Bangladesh cashed in gleefully.

Allrounder Dunith Wellalage featured after landing in Dubai the morning of the game, having returned home to Colombo to pay his last respects to his father who passed away on Thursday.

Former captain Shanaka had earlier top-scored for Sri Lanka with 64 off 37, his first half-century since January 2023.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his team were ready to face India in the next round of the Asia Cup on Sunday after last week's group-stage match between the arch-rivals ended in acrimony when the Indian side refused to shake hands.

Pakistan beat United Arab Emirates in their final Group A game on Wednesday to advance to the Super Fours stage, where they will also play two teams from Group B in a round robin format.

Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013 and they play each other only in multi-team tournaments.

"We are ready, we are ready for any challenge," Salman said after their 41-run victory against UAE.

"We just want to play good cricket. If we play good cricket, like we have played in the last few months, I think we'll be good against any side."

Fakhar Zaman made 50 but Pakistan's frontline batters disappointed against UAE's modest attack with opener Saim Ayub falling for his third successive duck in the tournament.

Salman acknowledged they had to bat better.

"We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order," Salman said.

"That's been a concern and something we need to work on."

India had cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan last weekend in the first cricket match between the sides since a four-day military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

While the match itself passed without incident, there was no shaking of hands between the captains at the toss or among the players at the end. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav dedicated their victory to the armed forces back home.

The Pakistan Cricket Board called for match referee Andy Pycroft's immediate removal for a code of conduct "violation" and considered withdrawing from the tournament before going ahead with Wednesday's match.

India and Pakistan could meet for a third time at the tournament if they both reach the September 28 final.

Reigning 20-overs world champions India look overwhelming favourites to retain their Asia Cup title with Suryakumar Yadav leading a crack squad that can sweep aside rivals and any geopolitical distraction in the tournament beginning on Tuesday.

The 9-28 September tournament had looked in limbo after four days of military conflict between tournament hosts India and bitter neighbours Pakistan in May this year.

The eight-team competition was subsequently moved to the United Arab Emirates but the geopolitical undercurrents were palpable with several former India cricketers demanding a boycott of matches against Pakistan.

With New Delhi backing the Indian cricket board's stance of playing Pakistan in multi-team events only, the Asian Cricket Council, which organises the Asia Cup, is confident its flagship tournament would prove a success.

With an eye on the T20 World Cup next year, India gave an indication of how seriously they view the tournament when they picked pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

The 31-year-old is played sparingly to manage his all-format workload and India will hope to benefit from the wily seamer's craft both in the powerplay and the death overs.

Test captain Shubman Gill has been recalled to reinforce a batting line-up teeming with serious power-hitters like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, currently the top-two T20 batters in official rankings, as well as skipper Suryakumar.

Arch-rivals Pakistan will enter the tournament low on experience but high on confidence after winning a tri-series, also involving Afghanistan and hosts UAE, on Sunday.

"We wanted to prepare in a way that helps us for the Asia Cup and we've done that," Pakistan captain Salman Agha said.

"We've been doing really well since the Bangladesh home series. Finally, we're in very good shape and fully prepared for the Asia Cup."

Having ignored former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan will need sustained contribution from their batters against tougher opposition.

Afghanistan lost to Pakistan in Sunday's final in Sharjah but skipper Rashid Khan counts their familiarity with conditions as a major gain.

"It's important for us to learn from these conditions ahead of the Asia Cup," Rashid, who will lead Afghanistan's spin-heavy attack, said.

"Over the last eight-nine months, we haven't played much T20 cricket together and a series like this gives us positive energy.

"I think it's going to be a great and exciting Asia Cup for us."

Under Litton Das, a new-look Bangladesh will be itching to prove their mettle having lost the likes of stalwarts Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal to retirement.

Afghanistan play Hong Kong in the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.