India-Afghanistan T20I series confirmed, Delhi to host three matches

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed that Afghanistan will host India in a three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi from September 13 to 17, 2026.The series will get underway on September 13, with the second T20I scheduled for September 15 and the third on September 17. All three matches will be played at the same venue.The series is part of Afghanistan's Future Tours Program and will be played in India, with Afghanistan hosting its home fixtures at neutral venues in recent years.The series will be only the second bilateral T20I contest between India and Afghanistan. The two teams last met in a three-match series in January 2024, when India hosted Afghanistan in Mohali, Indore and Bengaluru. India won the series.The upcoming contest comes at an important stage for India's T20I side, which has endured a difficult run under captain Shreyas Iyer.India began the recent stretch with a 2-0 series defeat against Ireland before suffering a 4-0 loss against England in the following series. The team managed to halt that slide with a 3-0 victory over Zimbabwe in the recently concluded T20I series.It will also serve as useful preparation for the players selected in India's Asian Games squad. With the Asian Games campaign approaching, the three matches against Afghanistan will give the team an opportunity to assess combinations and provide players with valuable T20I game time.The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, will take place from September 19 to October 4.The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games will be played in the T20 format, with the competition beginning on September 24 and the final scheduled for October 3. Ten teams - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman - will compete for the gold medal.India have already announced their T20 squad for the Asian Games, and it is most likely that the squad for the Afghanistan series will also be quite similar.India men's T20I squad for Asian GamesShreyas Iyer (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.