AFG vs IND 2026: 1st T20I Match Preview

India lock horns with Afghanistan in the first T20I in the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, September 13.

The Men in Blue have gone through a transition of sorts after winning the T20 World Cup earlier this year under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. Shreyas Iyer took charge ahead of India’s tour of the United Kingdom. India lost back-to-back T20I series against Ireland and England but returned to winning ways against Zimbabwe.

Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah are back in India’s line-up, adding experience and quality to the side. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is also back in the setup.

On the other hand, Afghanistan will be led by Ibrahim Zadran, whose opening partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz is going to be crucial throughout the series. The strength in Afghanistan’s squad lies in the depth they have in the bowling department. They have three quality spinners in Rashid Khan, Mujeed Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad. Mohammad Nabi was also in surreal form with the ball during the Caribbean Premier League before joining the Blue Tigers. If the Afghans can play as a unit, they will give India a tough time.

AFG vs IND 2026: Match Details

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi: Pitch Report

The Arun Jaitley Stadium is expected to offer a belter of a pitch, where runs are going to be scored in heaps. The boundaries are on the shorter side and even mishits go the distance at this venue. Bowlers will have to be on point with their planning and execution as the room for error is very little.

AFG vs IND: Predicted Playing XIs

Afghanistan

Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeed Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

India

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan/Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.