Afghanistan face India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday in the opening match of a three-game T20I series that combines a difficult sporting challenge with an unusual home-and-away arrangement.
Afghanistan are officially hosting the series under their Future Tours Programme, even though all three matches are being played in New Delhi. That makes India the designated visiting team at a venue where they would normally be the hosts.
For Afghanistan, however, the more important issue is on the field. They are still seeking their first T20I victory over India, and Sunday’s match offers another measure of how far the Afghan side can push one of the strongest teams in the format.
Ibrahim Zadran leads an Afghanistan squad that includes Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi. The depth of Afghanistan’s spin attack is likely to be central to their chances in Delhi.
India arrive with Shreyas Iyer as captain and a squad containing Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and several other established T20 players.
The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. India time. The second and third T20Is will be played at the same venue on September 15 and 17.
The series is also significant because it gives Afghanistan a rare bilateral contest against India over multiple matches. Rather than the ceremonial meaning of being listed as the home team, Afghanistan’s stronger measure of progress will be whether they can turn their established bowling strengths into a first T20I win against India.
Sources: BCCI series announcement; India Today and ESPNcricinfo match previews, checked September 13, 2026.
