It’s finally match day. India and Afghanistan get their three-match T20I series underway this evening at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, and there’s a genuinely interesting selection puzzle sitting at the heart of it — one that’s kept commentators talking all week. get cricket match full information about India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Today via myfairplay.ing
MyFairPlay Guide for India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I
The MyFairPlay Guide for India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I brings together useful match-day information for cricket fans. The game in Delhi on September 13, 2026, is expected to attract plenty of attention. Check the latest team news, expected playing XI, key players, pitch conditions, weather updates, toss details, and major match moments. MyFairPlay users can follow cricket-focused updates in one place and stay informed throughout the exciting T20I encounter. Enjoy cricket responsibly and follow applicable local rules.
When and where to watch today
The toss is at 6:30 PM IST, with the match starting at 7:00 PM IST. If you’re in Delhi, expect traffic diversions around ITO and a few nearby routes this evening, so it’s worth building in extra time if you’re heading to the ground. For everyone else, FanCode has the digital streaming, and Sony Sports Network is carrying the TV broadcast across India.
The selection headache nobody saw coming a year ago
Shreyas Iyer’s biggest problem today isn’t Afghanistan’s bowling attack — it’s his own top order. With Sanju Samson back in the squad, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in red-hot recent form, and Abhishek Sharma still the incumbent, India effectively have three players for two opening slots. Abhishek in particular has had a quiet year in T20Is, which only sharpens the pressure on him today.
To make things a little more complicated, Harshit Rana was ruled out earlier this week with a rectus femoris strain picked up during match simulation on September 7, and he’ll now miss both this series and the Asian Games. Yash Thakur — who made his T20I debut on the Zimbabwe tour in July — comes into the squad in his place and has a real shot at his second cap today.
India’s most likely XI reads something like: two of Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan behind the stumps, Shreyas Iyer as captain, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. The bigger question is really about balance in the middle overs — India have four frontline spin options in Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, and playing all four would unbalance the side, so whoever misses out today says a lot about how the team management reads the Delhi pitch.
Afghanistan come in under a new captain
One change worth flagging before a ball is bowled: Rashid Khan is no longer Afghanistan’s T20I captain. That job now belongs to Ibrahim Zadran, with Rashid staying on purely as a bowler. It’s a shift that’s easy to miss in the noise around India’s selection dilemma, but it matters — Rashid arrives with something to prove after a quieter-than-usual run in the IPL, where he picked up just ten and nine wickets across his last two seasons. He does have pedigree at this ground, though: in his only appearance in Delhi during this year’s IPL, he returned figures of 3 for 17 in four overs.
Afghanistan’s likely XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz behind the stumps, Ibrahim Zadran as captain, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and one of Fazalhaq Farooqi or Naveen-ul-Haq rounding out the pace attack. It’s a side built almost entirely around spin control through the middle overs, with just enough pace to trouble the top order early and finish things off at the death.
The head-to-head record is lopsided — but context matters
On paper, this is about as one-sided a rivalry as exists in modern T20 cricket. India and Afghanistan have played nine T20Is against each other, and India have won eight of them, with one no-result and zero wins for Afghanistan. The last meeting came at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where India won by 47 runs. The last bilateral series between the two sides, back in January 2024, went 3-0 to India — including a dramatic third match in Bengaluru that needed two Super Overs to settle.
Numbers like that would normally take a lot of the tension out of a contest. But Afghanistan haven’t played a T20I since the World Cup in February, and they arrive with a settled core and a genuine sense that this is their best chance yet to finally get over the line against India. India, on the other hand, are still finding their feet under Iyer — they’ve lost series in Ireland and England since winning the World Cup under Suryakumar Yadav, with only a series win in Zimbabwe to show since. It’s not the transition period anyone expected after a World Cup triumph, and today is as good a test as any of where India’s white-ball side actually stands right now.
One small piece of trivia that’s been doing the rounds today: Iyer has won the toss in every single one of his first nine international matches as captain. If that streak holds up at 6:30 PM this evening, it’ll be talked about as much as anything that happens with bat or ball.
What to watch for as the game unfolds
Keep an eye on how India’s team management resolves the top-order puzzle — whoever gets left out of Abhishek, Sooryavanshi and Samson will be a genuine talking point regardless of how the match goes. Watch, too, for how Iyer manages his spin resources; Afghanistan’s batting order is unusually well-versed against quality spin bowling for a T20 side, which makes India’s choice between Chakravarthy’s mystery variations, Bishnoi’s leg-spin, and the more containing options in Axar and Washington Sundar an unusually important tactical call.
On Afghanistan’s side, this is really about whether Rashid Khan can rediscover his best form in a Delhi that’s traditionally offered him something, and whether Ibrahim Zadran can settle into the captaincy against the one team that’s given Afghanistan the most trouble historically. If you’re planning to follow along, our earlier full series preview has the complete schedule, squads and venue notes if you need the bigger picture before tonight’s toss.
Quick FAQ
1. What time is the toss for India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I today?
6:30 PM IST, with the match starting at 7:00 PM IST.
2. Who is captaining Afghanistan today?
Ibrahim Zadran — he has taken over the T20I captaincy from Rashid Khan.
3. Is Harshit Rana playing today?
No. He’s been ruled out with a rectus femoris strain and will miss the entire series and the Asian Games. Yash Thakur has been added to the squad in his place.
4. What is the head-to-head record between India and Afghanistan in T20Is?
India have won 8 of 9 previous meetings, with 1 no-result and no wins for Afghanistan.
5. Where can I watch today’s match live?
‘Stream it on FanCode; it’s on TV via the Sony Sports Network.
Note:- Details current as of Sunday, September 13, 2026, ahead of the 6:30 PM IST toss. Final playing XIs are confirmed only at the toss — check live updates for any late changes.
