IND vs AFG, T20I Series: Team India’s home season will begin earlier than expected as the three-game T20I series against Afghanistan was announced at almost the 11th hour as the Afghans will host the Men in Blue in their own backyard. All three T20Is will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17 as Afghanistan look to secure their first win over the sub-continent powerhouse in any format.
Unlike their tendency to name a side full of players on the fringes for a side as modest as Afghanistan, the selectors have named a full-strength squad for India for the series. The shocking series-loss to Ireland has seemingly sparked a move, given the reigning T20I champions lost both matches not only to Ireland but suffering defeat in the four matches out of five to England in the subsequent series. Even Jasprit Bumrah has returned despite big doubts over his immediate availability for white-ball cricket after missing the Test tour of Sri Lanka due to a knee injury. However, it remains uncertain about whether or not he plays in the series-opener. It is also set to be Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first international match in India after debuting in England.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be captained by Ibrahim Zadran since earning appointment as the full-time T20I skipper. There is also a boost in the form of Naveen-ul-Haq and Nabi. It will also be the first T20I of Afghanistan since the conclusion of T20 World Cup 2026 when they missed out on a Super Eight spot. Zadran has succeeded star captain Rashid Khan, who features in the squad only as a player.
India vs Afghanistan, T20I Series, Squads
India Squad: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.
Afghanistan Squad: Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor ul Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq
India vs Afghanistan, T20I Series, Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue |
| September 13, Sunday | India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| September 15, Tuesday | India vs Afghanistan, 2nd T20I | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| September 17, Thursday | India vs Afghanistan, 3rd T20I | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
India vs Afghanistan, T20I Series: When and where to watch?
All the matches will begin at 7:30 PM as per IST. The television telecast of the match will be available on Sony Sports Network, while the live streaming shall be on FanCode.
