Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad and all-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib will headline Afghanistan’s 15-member squad for the three-match T20 2026 series against India next month.
Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran will captain the side in his first assignment since being appointed Afghanistan’s full-time T20I skipper.
The cricket series, which will be a home assignment for Afghanistan, will be played entirely at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi from September 13 to 17 and comes immediately before the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games begins on September 24, a week after the third Afghanistan vs India T20I.
Afghanistan will take a largely different squad to Japan, captained by Darwish Rasooli, although Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti and Abdullah Ahmadzai also feature in the team picked for the T20Is in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq returns to the Afghanistan national setup for the India series after recovering from a stress fracture in his right shoulder.
The injury had ruled Naveen out of Afghanistan’s T20I series against the West Indies and the T20 World Cup 2026.
He joins Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai among the specialist pace options, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib provide additional seam-bowling choices.
Afghanistan also boast a formidable spin attack led by former captain Rashid Khan. Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are also in the squad while Mohammad Nabi and Nangyal Kharoti add further spin-bowling depth.
The upcoming series pits world No. 10 Afghanistan against the top-ranked team and the reigning world champions.
The last bilateral T20I series between India and Afghanistan was played in India in January 2024.
India swept the series 3-0, although Afghanistan came close to victory in a dramatic final match in Bengaluru. Both teams made 212 before the contest required two Super Overs to separate them, with India eventually prevailing.
The two countries also met in a Test and three-match ODI series in India in June this year. India won the one-off Test in New Chandigarh before completing a 3-0 sweep of the ODIs.
Afghanistan squad for India T20 2026 series
Afghanistan cricket team: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/afghanistan-vs-india-t20-2026-squad-player-list
