Afghanistan vs India 2026 T20I series start date is September 13, 2026 and the dates of two teams Afghanistan and India will open their three-match T20 International series.
Ironically, all the matches will be played on Indian soil but Afghanistan are the official hosts of the series. The three matches will all take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi.
The series will be Shreyas Iyer’s first assignment as India captain, while Ibrahim Zadran will lead Afghanistan in his maiden T20I series in full-time capacity.
However, the series will witness some prominent T20 names including Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan, Sanju Samson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel along with Noor Ahmad and Azmatullah Omarzai (both Afghanistan).
Afghanistan vs India 2026 Series Overview
| Details | Information |
| Series | Afghanistan vs India 2026 |
| Format | T20 International |
| Number of Matches | 3 T20Is |
| Start Date | September 13, 2026 |
| End Date | September 17, 2026 |
| Host | Afghanistan |
| Venue | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi |
| India Captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| Afghanistan Captain | Ibrahim Zadran |
| Series Format | 3-match T20I series |
Afghanistan vs India 2026 Full Schedule
| Match | Date | Day | Venue | Time |
| 1st T20I | September 13, 2026 | Sunday | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 7:00 PM IST |
| 2nd T20I | September 15, 2026 | Tuesday | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 7:00 PM IST |
| 3rd T20I | September 17, 2026 | Thursday | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 7:00 PM IST |
India T20I Squad for Afghanistan Series 2026
India had originally described a 15-member squad for the series where multiple players had been readied to help on the ground taking into account fitness clearance.
This update is especially significant: Harshit Rana ruled out after suffering a rectus femoris strain in match simulation, with Yash Thakur filling his shoes.
| Player | Role |
| Shreyas Iyer | Captain |
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter/All-rounder |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Batter |
| Sanju Samson | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Tilak Varma | Vice-Captain |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| Axar Patel | All-rounder |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Spinner |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Spinner |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Fast Bowler |
| Arshdeep Singh | Fast Bowler |
| Yash Thakur | Fast Bowler |
Afghanistan T20I Squad for India Series 2026
| Player | Role |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Captain |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Noor Rahman | Wicketkeeper |
| Sediqullah Atal | Batter |
| Darwish Rasooli | Batter |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | All-rounder |
| Gulbadin Naib | All-rounder |
| Mohammad Nabi | All-rounder |
| Rashid Khan | Spinner |
| Nangyal Kharoti | Spinner |
| Noor Ahmad | Spinner |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Spinner |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Fast Bowler |
| Abdullah Ahmadzai | Fast Bowler |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | Fast Bowler |
Key Players to Watch
Jasprit Bumrah – India
Bumrah’s return provides India with a new-ball and death specialist who is world-class.
What makes him that deadly as a T20 bowler are his ability to bowl yorkers, slower deliveries and hard lengths.
Abhishek Sharma – India
India opens with the explosive top-order option of Abhishek.
He can attack most opposition Bowlers and can apply a lot of pressure during Powerplay overs.
Sanju Samson – India
Sanju Samson provides another big-hitting wicketkeeper-batter for India.
With a knack for finding the rope off both pace and spin, he could become an important part of the series.
Rashid Khan – Afghanistan
Rashid continues to be Afghanistan’s most potent bowling match-winner.
His subtle variations and ability to hold down the middle overs will be key against an Indian batting line-up that came out blazing in their last fixture.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – Afghanistan
Gurbaz is one of the most attacking top-order T20 batters from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is capable of getting a big total very quickly as long as he can get through the powerplay.
Azmatullah Omarzai – Afghanistan
Omarzai is also a great addition in that sense, having the facility of applying with bat and ball.
Where Will Afghanistan vs India 2026 Matches Be Played?
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Why Is Afghanistan Hosting India in Delhi?
It is, in fact, one of the most interesting aspects of the series.
Despite the matches being played in India, Afghanistan are the official hosts for the bilateral T20I series.
It falls part of the arrangements for whom Afghanistan was to host home matches and about cricket in between the two nations.
This means India will in effect be the away team, even though the games are being held on Indian soil.
Afghanistan vs India 2026 Live Telecast
India has TV rights to the three-match T20I series available on the Sony Sports Network.
Meanwhile Sony has bought the series television broadcast rights.
Where to Watch India vs Afghanistan Live in India?
- TV: Sony Sports Network
- Online: Sony LIV
Sony LIV has been reported to provide the live stream of this series, and Sony Sports Network will broadcast this on television.
As per the specific language feed and channel number, fans can find Sony Sports of the respective region.
Afghanistan vs India 2026 Live Streaming
For online streaming, Indian viewers can watch all the matches on Sony LIV.
The series will have live-score coverage on major cricket portals like Cricbuzz.”
Live scorecards to ball-by-ball commentary, playing XIs and match stats for the fans who cannot watch the full match will be made available on all major cricket platforms.
India vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head in T20Is
| Head-to-Head Stats | India | Afghanistan |
| Total T20I Matches | 9 | 9 |
| Matches Won | 8 | 0 |
| Matches Lost | 0 | 8 |
| No Result | 1 | 1 |
| Win Percentage* | 88.89% | 0% |
| Tied Matches | 0 | 0 |
Series Venue and Pitch Conditions
Historically speaking, the Arun Jaitley Stadium has been a great venue for both batting and bowling.
T20 games can favour aggressive batting, especially when batters have taken advantage of the shorter boundaries. On the other hand, spin can be a major force as the innings progresses.
So the toss could become significant here, particularly if dew’s a factor later in the evening.
Latest Team News
Harshit Rana Ruled Out
India’s fast-bowling switch is the most notable last-minute development.
Harshit Rana was ruled out of the Afghanistan T20Is after suffering a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a match simulation on September 7.
A replacement for him in the squad was Yash Thakur.
Thakur had recently debuted in T20Is on the Zimbabwe tour, where he picked up four wickets from two matches.
Bumrah, Washington and Nitish Available
Closer home, the Indian cricket team received some positive fitness news as Jasprit Bumrah and both Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy passed their respective fitness tests.
Afghanistan vs India 2026 FAQs
When does the Afghanistan vs India T20I series start?
The three-match T20I series begins on September 13, 2026.
How many matches are there in the Afghanistan vs India 2026 series?
There are three T20 International matches.
Where will Afghanistan vs India 2026 matches be played?
All three matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
What time does India vs Afghanistan T20I start?
The Cricbuzz schedule lists the matches at 13:30 GMT, equivalent to 7:00 PM IST.
Who is India’s captain against Afghanistan in 2026?
Shreyas Iyer is India’s captain.
Who is Afghanistan’s captain?
Ibrahim Zadran is Afghanistan’s full-time T20I captain.