India vs Afghanistan Tour of India 2026: Match Schedule, Venues & Timings

Royal Stag Fan
22 August 2026

Short Summary

India take on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series from September 13-17, 2026, with every game being played at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. It's a technically "away" series for India — Afghanistan are the official hosts — and it lands just days before both nations head into the Asian Games.

Intro

Afghanistan are hosting India this September — and doing it on Indian soil, at a venue they've long used for their own "home" fixtures. It's the first time that's happened between these two sides. They already met once this year, back in June, when India beat Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the Test and followed it up with a 3-0 ODI sweep. This time it's the shortest format, and the stakes read a little differently.

When is the India vs Afghanistan Tour?

The series runs September 13 to September 17, 2026 — three T20Is, all at the same ground, back to back with a rest day between each.

Full Match Schedule Table

Match No.	Date	Day	Venue	Local Start Time (IST)
1st T20I	September 13, 2026	Sunday	Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	7:00 PM
2nd T20I	September 15, 2026	Tuesday	Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	7:00 PM
3rd T20I	September 17, 2026	Thursday	Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	7:00 PM

Venue Deep-Dive

Every match of this series is at one ground: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. It's a deliberate choice, not a scheduling shortcut. The Afghanistan cricket team have used India as a base for its home fixtures for years, given the lack of international cricket at home, and Delhi gives them an established venue with the infrastructure and security to host a series of this scale end to end. For fans, it also means the full series is watchable without hopping cities — three nights, one ground, floodlights all the way through with a 7 PM start each time.

Squads

Official squads for this series haven't been named yet. What's known: India's white-ball setup has shifted meaningfully this year — a new T20I captain has taken over, and the format has already seen changes in personnel and approach through the England and Ireland tours earlier this season. Afghanistan will bring their own settled core, built around the spin-heavy, high-energy game that's made them a genuine threat in T20 cricket over the last few years.

Key Moments to Watch

India

A middle order still finding its settled shape under new T20I leadership, with the bat needed to control the tempo in the back half of an innings
A pace attack that's carried India's recent white-ball form, built for both new-ball control and death-over precision
Emerging batting talent given a long run in the format this year, with September as another audition ahead of bigger assignments

Afghanistan

A spin attack that remains the team's biggest weapon on any surface, capable of choking totals in the middle overs
An opening pair built to take the game away early, especially against a new ball that doesn't seat
All-round depth in the middle order that's given Afghanistan the ability to compete with, and beat, the game's top sides

What's at Stake

This series sits at an interesting crossroads for both boards. For India, it's a tune-up — a chance to test combinations with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon, and the T20 format still being reshaped after this year's World Cup win and a leadership change. Every performance here feeds directly into that build.

For Afghanistan, it's bigger than the result. Hosting India — officially, on paper, as the home side — is a marker of how far their cricket has come. Beyond the optics, it's also a live rehearsal against the world's best T20 side, with both teams' eyes already on the 2027 World Cup cycle.

Conclusion

Three matches, one ground, and two teams using this series for very different reasons — India to sharpen combinations and for Afghanistan a chance to keep proving that they belong in the conversation with the format's best.

Mark your calendar for September 13.

Royal Stag Packaged Drinking Water is cheering for Team India through this series in Delhi, standing behind the boys in blue the way the whole nation does — hoping Team India wins large, because Large Humaara Hai.

Stay tuned for squad announcements and head to Royal Stag Packaged Drinking Water for more updates.