India and Afghanistan meet in a three match T20I series starting September 13, 2026, and for the first time ever, Afghanistan is the official host. Every match will still be played on Indian soil, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, because Afghanistan does not have a certified home venue of its own and has been using Indian grounds for its “home” fixtures for years. The three games are set for September 13, 15 and 17, each with a 7 pm IST start.
This series matters for reasons beyond the scoreline. It is India’s last assignment before the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where the men’s T20 competition runs from September 24 to October 3 and both India and Afghanistan are among the ten teams chasing the gold medal. So this is also a dress rehearsal, a chance for both sides to finalise combinations before a bigger tournament just eleven days later.
Series details at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Format | Three match T20I series |
| Venue | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi (all three matches) |
| Dates | September 13, 15 and 17, 2026 |
| Start time | 7:00 PM IST each match |
| Official host | Afghanistan |
| India captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| Afghanistan captain | Ibrahim Zadran |
| Broadcaster in India | Sony Pictures Networks |
| Context | Final series before the 2026 Asian Games in Japan |
Why is Afghanistan hosting a match in Delhi
This sounds odd until you know the background. Afghanistan does not have an ICC accredited international stadium at home, so it has been playing its “home” internationals in India, the UAE and a few other countries for close to a decade. The two boards, the BCCI and the Afghanistan Cricket Board, agreed that this series counts as an Afghanistan home series even though the Indian team barely has to leave Delhi for it. There was a brief scare before the opener too. With the BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi from September 11 to 13, security arrangements around the city tightened, and there was talk of the first T20I being postponed. The Delhi and District Cricket Association met with Delhi Traffic Police on September 10 and confirmed the match would go ahead as planned, with no change to the schedule.
Head to head record: India have never lost to Afghanistan
Here is the number that frames everything about this series. India and Afghanistan have played each other 13 times across all three formats since 2010, and India have won every single one of those matches that produced a result. Two games ended tied, both decided in India’s favour by Super Over or a countback rule.
| Format | Matches played | India wins | Afghanistan wins | Tied/No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 (tied) |
| T20Is | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 (no result) |
| Combined | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
A quick note on the T20I numbers. Different record keepers list either 8 or 9 T20Is between the two sides depending on whether they count a washed out gold medal match at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where persistent rain meant no ball was bowled and India were awarded the gold for being the higher seeded side. Either way, the story is the same. Afghanistan is still searching for its first ever win over India, in any format, at any venue.
The closest Afghanistan has come was the third T20I of the January 2024 series in Bengaluru. Both sides finished on 212 runs, and India won the match only in the Super Over. That one game is the best evidence Afghanistan has that the gap between the two teams is closing, even if the ledger still reads a clean sweep for India.
Recent form of both teams
India walk into this series having had a mixed run in the format lately. They lost a two match series to Ireland 2-0, were then beaten 4-0 by England, and have only recently steadied themselves with a 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe. Shreyas Iyer, who took over the T20I captaincy this year, will want a clean series against Afghanistan to build momentum before the Asian Games.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, arrive on the back of a good run against Ireland and remain one of the most dangerous white ball sides in world cricket on their day, largely because of their spin attack. They also toured India for a three match ODI series in June 2026 and a one off Test, and lost both engagements heavily, including an innings and 300 run defeat in the Test. So while their T20I form has been decent, their recent record specifically against India has not improved.
Squads for the series
Shreyas Iyer captains India with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The squad blends youth and experience at the top of the order, with Abhishek Sharma, teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan all competing for opening and middle order slots. Jasprit Bumrah has been named in the squad after recovering from a knee injury, but like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana, his availability depends on a final fitness check closer to the series. Harshit Rana was already ruled out with a strain injury on September 10 and replaced by Yash Thakur.
India’s full squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Yash Thakur.
Afghanistan are led by Ibrahim Zadran and travel with the spin combination that has made them competitive against almost every team in world cricket: Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi. Their pace attack also gets a boost with Naveen-ul-Haq back in the squad alongside Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Afghanistan’s squad: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Noor Rahman (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Predicted playing XIs
India’s likely XI for the first T20I: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana or Yash Thakur, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, fitness permitting. If Bumrah is not cleared, expect one of the extra seamers or Ravi Bishnoi to come in.
Afghanistan’s likely XI: Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Pitch and venue factors at Arun Jaitley Stadium
The Delhi pitch is generally regarded as flat and batting friendly for T20 cricket, with short boundaries on both sides that reward clean hitting. September evenings in Delhi also tend to carry some dew, which usually means captains prefer to bowl first and chase under lights. Expect high scoring games in the 180 to 200 range if the conditions hold, which plays into the hands of India’s deep batting order and Afghanistan’s power hitters like Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai.
What can we expect from this series
Based on the trend of the last decade and a half, India go into this series as clear favourites, and most pre series pieces and betting markets reflect that. A few factors support this view. India have the deeper batting line up on paper, home conditions they know intimately even if it is technically an Afghanistan home fixture, and a bowling attack that has troubled Afghanistan’s batters in the past, particularly against pace.
That said, Afghanistan are not the same side that lost meekly a decade ago. Their spin trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi can strangle even strong batting line ups on any surface, and their batting has more depth than it used to, with players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal capable of quick starts. The tied match in Bengaluru in January 2024 is proof that Afghanistan can push India all the way on a given day, even if they have not yet found a way to close such a game out.
A realistic expectation, going purely by the head to head trend, is another series win for India, likely 2-1 or 3-0, with at least one close finish somewhere in the mix given how competitive recent encounters between these two sides have been. Afghanistan’s best chance of an upset probably comes if Bumrah is unavailable and the Delhi pitch turns out flatter than usual, taking some sting out of India’s new ball attack.
Where to watch the series
Sony Pictures Networks India holds the exclusive television broadcast rights for the series in India, with live streaming available through the network’s digital platform. Fans planning to attend the first T20I in Delhi should expect a full house, with organisers anticipating a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000 for the series opener on September 13.
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