The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian Senior Men’s Team for the upcoming T20Is for Afghanistan series. Notably, Afghanistan will host India for a three-match T20I series at the Arun
Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from September 13 to 17, 2026. While the series opener will be played on Sunday, September 13, game two will take place on September 15, followed by the final game on September 17. According to reports, the ACB had requested to shift one of the games on September 14, Ganesh Chaturthi, as “a special gesture” to add a festive gesture.
However, while the dates are now fixed, T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer returns to the setup following a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in Harare. However, individually, he had a lukewarm outing. Apart from him, the 15-member squad features Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube among others. Samson was rested for the Zimbabwe tour back in July, while Prabhsimran Singh got his maiden India call-up. Apart from him, Arshdeep Singh was also rested for the series, and is now back in action.
India’s Squad for Afghanistan T20Is
India’s squad for Afghanistan T20I series announced. #TeamIndia will play three T20Is against Afghanistan at New Delhi, beginning September 13.#AFGvIND pic.twitter.com/UqTUeZyHz8
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 1, 2026
Hardik Pandya Unavailable for Afghanistan Series, Jasprit Bumrah’s Participation in Doubts
While several players are returning to action with the Afghanistan tour, players such as Jasprit Bumrah’s participation is subject to fitness clearance. The pacer suffered an impact injury during the England ODIs in July and has been out of action since then. He also missed the recent Test series against Sri Lanka. Apart from him, Harshit Rana, all-rounders Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been picked but their participation will also depend on their fitness.
However, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss out the Afghanistan series. Pandya has reportedly developed a leg niggle during his rehabilitation at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru. While he was progressing well and operating at full intensity, the latest setback has halted his bowling.
According to a source by TOI, “Hardik Pandya was operating at full intensity without any discomfort, but he has been advised to pause bowling due to discomfort in the leg. He will resume soon, but the Afghanistan series is too close to reach the required fitness levels. Batting and movement-wise, there wasn’t any significant issue, but the CoE needs to be completely convinced before giving an all-clear.”
With Pandya being sidelined, Nitish Kumar Reddy has booked himself a spot in the team. Here’s how the three-time World Champions’ squad looks like for Afghanistan series-
India squad vs Afghanistan – Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*
*- subject to fitness.
