The eighth edition took place in Sri Lanka in 2004. There was a change in the tournament format as UAE and Hong Kong were also included for the first time and the tournament was now divided into three stages – the "Group Stage", "Super Fours" and the final. The group stage was divided into two groups of 3 teams, each playing each other once. The top two teams from each group qualified for the Super Four stage where they played each other again once. The top two teams in the Super Four stage then qualified for the final. Hosts Sri Lanka, India and UAE were placed in Group A while the then defending champions Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong were placed in Group B. UAE and Hong Kong were knocked out in the group stage. Bangladesh had the distinction of reaching the second stage in a major tournament for the first time, but played poorly in the Super Fours and got eliminated. India and Sri Lanka topped the Super Four stage and reached the final. In the final, Sri Lanka defeated India by 25 runs to win the Asia Cup. Sanath Jayasuriya was the player of the Tournament.