A special memento exchange took place before the toss at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 13, 2026, as Afghanistan and India prepared for the first T20I of their bilateral series. Both teams presented framed jerseys and caps to each other in a ceremony that added a formal, celebratory note to the occasion ahead of the match.
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran. The toss took place at 7:00 PM IST, with the match scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST. Iyer has now won the toss in each of his first nine international games as captain, a remarkable run of consistency with the coin.
Afghanistan are the designated home side for this series, even though all matches are being played on Indian soil. This is the first bilateral T20I series that Afghanistan have hosted against India, giving the occasion a historic dimension in the cricket relationship between the two countries. The series also forms part of both teams’ preparations for the upcoming Asian Games.
Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing in the 1st T20I?
Why does this series carry added significance for both sides?
Beyond the bilateral context, the series serves as preparation for the Asian Games, giving each match a sharper competitive edge for both squads. Teams are expected to use the fixtures to assess combinations and give fringe players an opportunity to press their case ahead of that tournament.
For Afghanistan, the series represents a meaningful step in the development of their international programme. Hosting a full bilateral T20I series against India, even on neutral ground, is a significant marker for a side that has grown rapidly in global cricket over the past decade. The pre-match memento exchange, involving framed jerseys and caps from each team, reflected the goodwill between the two sides as they prepare to compete across the series.
What are the playing XIs for the first T20I?
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
