After winning the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0, the Indian cricket team will be returning home for their next international assignment, which will be a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
The series is scheduled to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, 2026. The Afghanistan series will see the Men in Blue switch from the longest format to T20 cricket, with the series coming as part of a busy international calendar. The more interesting part will be that the Afghan side will be playing as the hosts instead of Team India.
IND vs AFG Schedule
1st T20I: September 13 (Delhi)
2nd T20I: September 15 (Delhi)
3rd T20I: September 17 (Delhi)
The series will take place in India as part of Afghanistan’s Future Tours Program; like in previous years, Afghanistan will hold its home games in neutral locations. This series will be India and Afghanistan’s second bilateral T20 International match. The two teams last faced off in a three-match series back when India hosted Afghanistan in Mohali, Indore, and Bengaluru in January 2024, and the Men in Blue came out victorious in it.
For ‘s T20I team, which has had a challenging run under captain Shreyas Iyer, the forthcoming assignment is crucial. India’s recent run started with a 2-0 series loss to Ireland and ended with a 4-0 series loss to England. In the recently concluded T20I series, the team defeated Zimbabwe 3-0 to stop that downward trend.
The players chosen for India’s Asian Games team will also benefit from the series. The three games against Afghanistan will allow the team to evaluate combinations and offer players meaningful T20I playing time as the Asian Games campaign draws near.
Afghanistan squad for three-match T20I series vs Afghanistan
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