History is set to made on Super Sunday as Afghanistan are set to host India on Indian soil for the first time ever. This is the first time ever that India will be the away team in India as the Afghanistan team is set to host them in the first of three T20Is. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi is set to host all three matches, the first of which is set to be played on Sunday, September 13th. India have played T20Is after the 2026 T20 World Cup, while Afghanistan will play their maiden match since that tournament.
Afghanistan has a new leader in Ibrahim Zadran taking over from Rashid Khan while Richard Pybus is their new coach replacing Jonathan Trott from the World Cup team. Afghanistan does well in T20Is and have a good squad. The players play in various franchise leagues and are equipped to handle this format. They are not to be taken lightly at all. India will be led by captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Gautam Gambhir. The Men in Blue have named a full strength side barring an injury here and there and will start this series as favourites despite being the away side.
The stage is set for an interesting 3-match series in New Delhi over the course of next week.
Overview.Â
The stage is set for history to be created as Afghanistan hosts India in India with the Men in Blue playing as the away side in their homeland for the first time since inception of cricket. Afghanistan will host India in a 3-match T20I series which is also known as the Friendship Cup and it will be an intriguing series to follow. The first of three matches takes place on Sunday, September 13th 2026.
Afghanistan are set to take the field for the first time since their group stage exit from T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year. After a below par show at the marquee tournament, Afghanistan have opted for a change in leadership. Rashid Khan was sacked as the team’s captain and the reins were handed over to Ibrahim Zadran. Ibrahim has captained Afghanistan in the shortest format before as a part-time leader, but this will be his first assignment as a full-time skipper.
Naveen-ul-Haq, who last played international cricket back in December 2024, makes a return to boost the pace attack for the hosts. They also have the experienced Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Azmatullah Omarzai to handle the seam department. In terms of spinners, Afghanistan are never short of options. They have one of the best in the world in Rashid. They also have Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has played 65 T20Is. Noor Ahmad may not be in the best of form in recent times, but he’s a weapon on slow and low surfaces, which could be the case in Delhi.
Nangeyalia Kharote is another young spin wizard from Afghanistan who can be more than handy with his left-arm spin. The experienced Mohammad Nabi completes a well-rounded bowling line-up. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has loads of experience playing high-pressure games and also knows the Indian conditions well, having played a lot in the IPL. Ibrahim Zadran, their new skipper, has an average close to 39 against India in this format.
Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal have been performing consistently for Afghanistan across formats, while they also have the experience of Gulbadin Naib. His all-round skills, along with those of Nabi and Omarzai, will be handy for Afghanistan as they search for their first-ever T20I win over India.
On the other hand, the Men in Blue will be keen to continue their winning run after losing six of their seven games before the last series against Zimbabwe, where they won all three fixtures. Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, which welcomes back Jasprit Bumrah, who has not played T20Is since the World Cup final in March. Bumrah was ruled out of the third ODI against England in July due to a knee issue. He is back and trained with the team ahead of the three-match series against Afghanistan.
The rest of the group remains pretty much the same as it was for the Zimbabwe series. Sanju Samson was not part of the team that clean swept the Chevrons, but he’s back for this away series against Afghanistan. This will make selections slightly trickier for the Men in Blue. Abhishek Sharma is almost a certainty to open the innings, but whether they go with teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi or back the experienced Sanju Samson will be interesting to see.
A couple of the starts will have to quickly adapt to the shortest format, having featured in the Duleep Trophy, a marquee domestic red-ball tournament, recently. Ishan Kishan, who led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy triumph a few days ago, injured his back in the nets while facing Navdeep Saini. The wicketkeeper-batter walked off on his own, which is a good sign for Team India. Harshit Rana was also one of the players returning from a long injury lay-off, but his comeback was cut short as he picked up a rectus femoris strain while bowling in a match simulation and was ruled out of the series.
Yash Thakur has been named as his replacement and has joined the squad in New Delhi. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the UK, and Zimbabwe tours due to a left quadriceps injury, has cleared the fitness test ahead of the Afghanistan series and is available for selection. Shivam Dube is there as an all-rounder, along with Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Along with Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur make up the pace attack, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi will handle the spin duties, with Axar and Sundar providing additional options.
The stage is set and we will have to way and find out whether Afghanistan register their first-ever T20I win against India or will the Men in Blue prove too strong for them.
Head-To-Head.Â
Afghanistan and India have played against each other in 9 matches in which India have won 8 and one match ended in a No Result. Afghanistan are yet to win against the Men in Blue. Their last meeting was in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which India won comfortably though earlier that year, Afghanistan took India to a double super over before the Men in Blue prevailed.
Pitch & Weather Report.Â
The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is a flat high-scoring surface in general which is a batting paradise with good true bounce. The short boundaries amplify power-hitting and boundaries. The outfield is lightning fast which makes containment difficult for loose deliveries. There is minimal dew expected early and the toss winner may opt to bat first. Afghanistan’s world-class spin trio will pose a test in the middle overs.
The weather in New Delhi is set to be overcast to partly cloudy with a muggy, humid feeling. The temperature will be a high of about 33-35 degrees Celsius to dropping into the high 20s by evening. The rain or storm risk is projected to be at 36-49% as the IMD has predicted isolated heavy rain/gusty winds up to 35 km.hr for the Delhi-NCR region. Covers will be ready on standby and may play spoilsport in this game.
Probable/Predicted Playing XIs of both sides.Â
Here, we will try and predict the probable playing XIs of both the teams.
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq.
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi/Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash.Â
Ibrahim Zadran: The captain of Afghanistan in his first full-time T20I assignment will be the key focus player for the hosts. Ibrahim Zadran is a quality player with good technique. He has the ability to hold one end up and play the anchor role which the team may require in this series. Gurbaz & Co are swashbuckling players. So, the onus will be on Ibrahim to hold one end up and do well for his side.
Rashid Khan: Relieved of captaincy, Rashid Khan will be another player for us to watch out for. Rashid can now focus solely on his bowling and can be unstoppable. If the pitch aids the spinners, Rashid can be a handful and will be a threat to Indians on any surface. Rashid will hope to do well in this side and if he does well, Afghanistan may have a chance to upstage India.
Ishan Kishan: Fresh off his double ton in Duleep Trophy final, Ishan Kishan is the man in form for India. His leadership helped East Zone win the crown after 13 years. Ishan is in good form and suffered an injury scare late in training a few days ago. Thankfully, according to reports he is fine and is available for selection as of now. Ishan will be expected to control the innings batting at 3 and the Delhi wicket may as well suit him to do well for his side.
Jasprit Bumrah: When you have Jasprit Bumrah in your side, he has got to be the player to watch out for. Coming back from another injury break, Bumrah will be expected to spearhead the Indian bowling. His overs assuming he is fit and playing could be the difference between winning and losing a game as on flat decks, it is crucial for Bumrah to do well for India. He gives the teeth to the Indian line-up which they lack without him.
Key Stats and Records to watch out for ahead of this clash.Â
- If Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets a game this series, he will become the youngest player from a Full Member side to play international cricket in India.
- Mohammad Nabi is already the oldest man from a Full-Member team to play a T20I in India.
- Shreyas Iyer has won the toss in each of his first nine international games as captain, a record already.
- Mohammad Nabi is 52 runs short of becoming the first Afghanistan player to score 2500 T20I runs.
- Rashid Khan is seven wickets away from becoming the first man to 200 T20I wickets.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match.Â
T20 is a game of glorious uncertainties and anything can happen in this game of cricket. First, let’s hope the rain stays away from the nation’s capital New Delhi and we get a game in. Assuming the game goes ahead, it is tough to predict a winner. But looking at both the sides on paper and history between the sides and current form, we feel that India will start this match as favourites. Afghanistan will be no pushovers and will surprise India if they are not careful. But as of now, before the series starts India will start as favourites for sure.
Let’s see how the first match and the series as a whole unfolds in New Delhi.
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