Afghanistan vs India 2026 | 1st T20I | Preview and Predictions

The preparation for the 2026 Asian Games kicks off as Afghanistan host India in Delhi for a three-match T20I series.

India will be aiming to address all the chinks in their armour after enduring a couple of rough T20I series recently, while Afghanistan will look to make the most of their opportunities against an in-transition Indian unit.

For the first T20I between Afghanistan and India, here we present our preview and predictions.

AFG vs IND 2026 | 1st T20I | 19:30 IST, September 13, 2026

After series losses in Ireland and England, the Men in Blue will not only be looking to bounce back and pick some wins, but also pick up some crucial form ahead of the Asiad. Captain Shreyas Iyer will be leading a near-full-strength squad, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Nitish Kumar Reddy returning. Hardik Pandya’s absence will be a talking point, but India will look for a strong start to the series all the same.

The Indian management will have a call to take as far as the opening pair is concerned, as they have Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson to choose from. Samson and Sooryavanshi were used in rotation in Ireland and England, but neither really got runs under their belt. The veteran Samson, apart from the T20 World Cup, has struggled with form, and given Ishan Kishan’s resurgence, and the fact that he too is a wicketkeeper, the management could go with the all-left combination of Sooryavanshi and Sharma.

The middle order will comprise captain Shreyas Iyer alongside Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, and all-rounders Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar. In Dube and Reddy, India will have a replacement for Pandya, while Sundar and Patel will be the two main spin-bowling all-rounders. Varun Chakravarthy returns from injury as the main spinner, with Jasprit Bumrah set to lead the pace attack alongside Arshdeep Singh.

All in all, the Indian squad looks well-balanced, and if their top-order batters fire together, there will be problems in the Afghanistani camp.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, officially the hosts of this series, have Ibrahim Zadran leading a talented squad filled with match-winners.

Zadran has the explosive Rahmanullah Gurbaz as his opening partner, while the middle order has experience in the likes of Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi.

With the ball, spinners will be key for Afghanistan, with their talisman Rashid Khan leading the attack alongside Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad, with Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi being the main seamers for the side.

The Delhi strip is known to be a bit slow and gripping as the game goes on, but given the short boundaries and the two teams’ explosive top orders, we should be in for plenty of runs early on.

Afghanistan have a stellar spin attack, which will try to make the most of the gripping conditions at the Kotla, but India’s batting unit gives them the edge in this encounter.

Fantasy XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (c), Abhishek Sharma (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Gulbadin Naib, Tilak Varma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Azmatullah Omarzai

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Winners Prediction: India