The thrill of T20 format in international cricket is once again going to woo Indian fans. The trumpet has sounded for the three-match bilateral T20 International series between India and Afghanistan, the first high-voltage match of which will be played on Sunday, 13 September 2026 at the historic Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in the country's capital New Delhi. This entire series will be organized on the grounds of the national capital Delhi only. However, the official hosting rights of this international series are in the hands of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). In view of the preparations for the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan in the coming days, this series is going to be the best platform for both the teams to test their bench strength and finalize the playing eleven. Complete schedule and match timings of India-Afghanistan T20 series: All the matches of this exciting three-match series will be played under floodlights on the PATA pitch of Arun Jaitley Stadium (Ferozeshah Kotla), Delhi. The first T20 match of the series is scheduled for Sunday, September 13. After this, the second T20 match will be played on Tuesday, 15 September and the third and decisive match will be played on the same ground on Thursday, 17 September. All matches will start at 7:00 PM Indian Time (IST), while the toss will be completed exactly half an hour before the start of the match i.e. at 6:30 PM. There is tremendous enthusiasm about this series among the cricket lovers of the capital. T20 International Head-to-Head Record: Afghan challenge in front of Team India riding on the invincible chariot. The head-to-head statistics between the two countries in the shortest format of cricket completely testify to the one-sided dominance of the Indian cricket team. The teams of India and Afghanistan have come face to face a total of 9 times so far in the T20 International format. Out of these 9 matches, the Indian team has registered a resounding victory in 8 matches, while one match ended without any result. Till date, the Afghanistan team has not been successful in defeating the Indian team even once in T20 International. In such a situation, the Afghan team under the captaincy of Ibrahim Zadran will face the most difficult and historic challenge to break this invincible record of India. Where to watch live telecast on TV: Complete information about broadcast partner and channel. To watch the live telecast of this first T20 match played between India and Afghanistan on television screen, fans will have to tune in to Sony Sports Network. Viewers can enjoy the match live with commentary in regional languages including Hindi and English on various SD and HD channels of Sony Sports Network. Just one hour before the match i.e. from 6:00 PM, cricket pundits and former players of both the teams will give their opinion on the pitch report, toss analysis and probable playing XI in the pre-match show. How to watch live streaming on mobile and laptop: OTT platform and digital details Concrete arrangements have also been made for smartphone, tablet and smart TV users watching live streaming of the match on digital platforms. Exclusive digital live streaming of all matches of India vs Afghanistan T20 series will be available on 'FanCode' app and its official website (fancode.com). Cricket lovers can enjoy the matches in 1080p Full HD quality by purchasing the Match Pass or Complete Series Tour Pass on the FanCode app. Along with this, internet users can also access digital feeds through various telecom bundled offers and sports subscription packs. Confluence of youthful enthusiasm and experience: 15-member full squad of the Indian T20 team. For this home series, the Indian selectors have entrusted the responsibility of captaincy on the shoulders of Shreyas Iyer, while an excellent balance of aggressive batsmen and clever spinners has been created in the team. Full squad of Indian team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Varun Chakraborty and Ravi Bishnoi. Equipped with star spinners and power hitters: Afghanistan's strong 15-member squad. On the other hand, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has also fielded its strongest T20 team keeping in mind the conditions of India. The presence of a world-class spin attack and explosive all-rounders makes this team dangerous for any opponent. Afghanistan full squad: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Darwish Rasouli, Noor ul Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Umarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Nangelia Kharote, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Naveenul Haq, Mujibur Rahman and Noor Ahmed. Importance of the pitch and toss of Arun Jaitley Stadium: The batsmen will win or the spinners will do the magic. Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium has been known for high-scoring matches in T20 cricket in the last few years. Due to the short boundary and flat pitch, the batsmen get a chance to play shots freely in the initial overs. Dew factor is likely to play an important role in the evening, due to which the captain winning the toss may decide to bowl first to take advantage of the wet ball while chasing the target. Both the teams have high-class spinners like Rashid Khan, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi and Noor Ahmed, who have the ability to change the game in the middle overs.
