Afghanistan will host India for a T20I series in Delhi in September

NEW DELHI: For the first time in its cricket history, Afghanistan will host India in an international series this year. However, the venue will be the capital city of India. TOI has learned that there are plans for Afghanistan to host three T20Is against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in September.An official announcement is awaited, but the matches are scheduled to be played on September 13, 16 and 19. Afghanistan tour India for a one-off Test and three ODIs starting June 6. TOI understands that the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has approached the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) about the return trip. “BCCI and ACB share a good relationship. BCCI is helping other boards like Ireland, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe by sending Indian teams to play series there to boost the finances of these boards. An agreement has been reached between BCCI and ACB in this regard. An official announcement will be made after completing several modalities,” a BCCI source told TOI.“The BCCI brokered an agreement between the ACB in Delhi and the District Cricket Association (DDCA) regarding availability as Afghanistan’s home base for the series. The DDCA will also schedule its Delhi Premier League T20 accordingly,” the source added.Afghanistan have been playing their home matches in India and the United Arab Emirates for the past decade due to ongoing geopolitical issues in Afghanistan. Previously, Afghanistan hosted Ireland in a series in Greater Noida in 2017 before hosting Bangladesh for a T20I series in Dehradun in 2018. They then moved on to the United Arab Emirates before scheduling a Test match against a fully-fledged New Zealand team in Greater Noida in September 2024. The match was abandoned due to a bad day following rain two days before. Afghanistan played their next home series in Sharjah.“The itinerary has been shared with the Indian National Selection Committee as they have to select a 15-man T20 squad for the Asian Games at the end of September. The Asian Games cricket match is scheduled to start on September 23. They will select the teams accordingly,” a BCCI source said.