🏏1st T20I, Afghanistan vs India in 2026: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delh🏏

🏏1st T20I, Afghanistan vs India in India 2026: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi🏏

The last time these two sides met was in the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which India won comfortably by 47 runs.

India's attacking approach with the bat faces a stern examination from Afghanistan's renowned spin power on a Delhi surface that has frequently produced sizeable totals.

India has previously provided Afghanistan with alternative home venues because of security considerations, but the upcoming series breaks new ground.

The series is being hosted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, with all three matches taking place in India. The remaining matches are set for Sept. 15 and Sept. 17, with all three fixtures taking place at the same ground.

India and Afghanistan will both be looking to build confidence when they meet, with their recent white-ball campaigns producing mixed results. India, led by Shreyas Iyer, sees the three-match series as a chance to regain some stability after an inconsistent run on recent tours.

Jasprit Bumrah headlines the bowling attack, with Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy also included after receiving fitness clearance for India's upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. Yash Thakur has been brought into the squad in place of Harshit Rana.

Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel return to the bowling group after being rested for July's Zimbabwe tour. Hardik Pandya is unavailable as he continues his recovery from injury.

Afghanistan head into the series with Ibrahim Zadran at the T20I helm, marking a change in leadership after Rashid Khan's stint as captain in the format. Their bowling options have also been strengthened by the return of Naveen-ul-Haq, who is set to play his first international match in almost two years after overcoming a long-standing shoulder stress fracture.

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is back as well, adding experience to a spin department led by Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.

India will begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Sunday, with the team facing a selection call between young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and experienced wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.

Sooryavanshi played in the first two T20Is during India's England tour before Samson returned to the playing XI for the final match. The team management now has another chance to assess both players ahead of the Asian Games in Japan.

The Indian cricket team will be looking to fine-tune its squad before departing for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan when they face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, starting on Sunday.

Officially termed the Friendship Cup, the series will be played in New Delhi and India will be designated as the away side despite playing at home, since Afghanistan do not have a suitable venue to host international matches currently.

Afghanistan have previously used Dehradun, Greater Noida and Lucknow as home venues. They have also played home matches in the United Arab Emirates.

Indian T20 captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the team, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur are a part of the pace attack.

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson returns to the team after missing India's tour of Zimbabwe in July, while spinner Varun Chakaravarthy is also back after an injury ruled him out of that series.

Teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also part of the squad. The 15-year-old was a standout performer in India's last T20I series - a 3-0 sweep against Zimbabwe.

The left-hander became the youngest player to score a fifty in men's T20 internationals when he reached the milestone in 18 balls in the series opener. He followed it up with 81 off 49 balls in the third T20I and was named Player of the Series.

The upcoming T20I series will be the Afghanistan cricket team's second visit to India this year after they lost a one-off Test and three-match ODI series without a single win in June.

They will be hoping for a change in fortunes with Ibrahim Zadran captaining the side in his first assignment since being appointed Afghanistan's full-time T20I skipper.

Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq will return to the Afghanistan national setup after recovering from a stress fracture in his right shoulder.

Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad and all-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib add further experience to an Afghanistan side well accustomed to Indian conditions through their IPL experience.

Afghanistan vs India T20 head-to-head

India leads the IND vs AFG T20 head-to-head record, having won eight of the nine matches between the teams, while one game ended in no result.

Where to watch Afghanistan vs India T20 2026 live

Live streaming of the Afghanistan vs India T20 2026 series will be available to watch on FanCode. The AFG vs IND T20 cricket matches will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 5 TV channels in India.

The Friendship Cup 2026 will also be broadcast live in Hindi and other regional languages on the Sony Sports Ten 3 and the Sony Sports Ten 4 TV channels.

Afghanistan vs India T20 Friendship Cup 2026 squads

Afghanistan cricket team: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq

India cricket team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.

Predictions and Key Factors

India's Edge: India returns nearly at full strength with key players like Jasprit Bumrah back in the mix, though they look to bounce back from recent T20 series losses in England and Ireland.

Afghanistan's Threat: Afghanistan features a dangerous spin-heavy attack led by veteran Rashid Khan, making them a formidable opponent in the shortest format. Experts generally favor India due to home conditions and squad depth, but Afghanistan is hunting for their first-ever international win against India. [1, 2, 3]

Ibrahim Zadran takes over as the captain of the side, and he will have the services of match-winners. Rashid Khan will be the key focus, considering the veteran star has found his rhythm back and can put the Indian batters under pressure with his variations. Batting-wise, the onus will be on Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who blasted a quickfire ton against India during the ODI series.

AFG vs IND Head-to-Head

Matches -9

Afghanistan - 0

India - 8

No-result -1