ACB reaches out to BCCI to shift one T20I date due to Ganesh Chaturthi

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has formally reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India requesting a change in the schedule for the upcoming three-match T20I series. The ACB wants one of the fixtures moved to September 14 to coincide with Ganesh Chaturthi, with the request emerging on Thursday, August 13.

The three T20Is between Afghanistan and India are currently scheduled for September 13, 15, and 17 – all at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The ACB’s request seeks to shift one of those dates to September 14. It remains unconfirmed whether the BCCI will approve the change and which specific match would be moved if approval were granted.

Under the ICC Future Tours Programme, the three matches are classified as Afghanistan’s home fixtures, even though all of them will be played in India. This is the first time Afghanistan hosts India in India for a bilateral series, marking a notable milestone in the two nations’ cricketing relationship.

What are the broadcast and media rights arrangements for the series?

ITW Universe holds the media rights for the series and will manage on-the-ground branding at Arun Jaitley Stadium. FanCode is expected to stream all three T20Is digitally for fans in India, giving the series a broad digital reach across the country. Television broadcast discussions are ongoing, indicating that no final agreement with a TV partner has been confirmed at the time of writing.

“Discussions with leading broadcasters like Sony Sports and Star Sports are currently underway for the television broadcast,” an official told HT Digital.

How does this series affect India’s other bilateral commitments in September?

The confirmation of the Afghanistan T20I series in New Delhi has put India’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh in serious doubt. India were originally set to play three ODIs from September 1 to 6 and three T20Is from September 9 to 13 in Bangladesh, but that tour is now considered unlikely given the overlap with the Afghanistan fixtures.

Bangladesh’s sports minister, Aminul Haque, had previously addressed the situation, though the current status of those discussions remains unresolved. The BCCI’s response to the ACB’s rescheduling request is also awaited.

“It is being worked on at the ministerial level. We want to quickly resolve the deadlock that was created around the Cricket World Cup. God willing, we are hopeful that it will be resolved very soon,” Aminul had said.