Afghanistan announce T20I squad vs India: Ibrahim Zadran to Captain, Rashid Khan Included

Afghanistan have announced a 15-member squad for their upcoming three-match T20I series against India, with Ibrahim Zadran taking charge as the team's full-time captain for the first time.

The series will be played in New Delhi from September 13 to 17, with all three matches scheduled at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.

Zadran will lead a strong Afghanistan squad that includes several of the country's biggest T20 stars. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Noor Rahman are the two wicketkeeping options, while Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli add batting depth.

The all-rounders include Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib and veteran Mohammad Nabi. Rashid Khan remains an important part of the squad despite relinquishing the captaincy, and will spearhead a formidable spin group alongside Noor Ahmad, Nangyal Kharoti and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

A major boost for Afghanistan is the return of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq. He has been included after recovering from a stress fracture in his right shoulder that kept him out of the West Indies T20I series and the 2026 T20 World Cup. He joins Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai in the pace department.

The Afghans recently played a one-off Test match against India, which saw the Indian team secure a comfortable win.

BCCI is yet to name the Indian squad for the tournament, but it is likely to feature a strong Indian side ahead of the Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer is expected to lead the side, but nothing has been confirmed yet as BCCI can also name a second string team.

Afghanistan Squad for India T20Is

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 and Naveen-ul-Haq.

Reserves: Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal, Fareed Ahmad Malik.

India Asian Games 2026 Squad

Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.

India vs Afghanistan T20I Schedule

September 13: 1st T20I - Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi
September 15: 2nd T20I - Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi
September 17: 3rd T20I - Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi

The series will be Afghanistan's designated home series, although all three matches will be played in India.