Toss and Team News
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first in the first T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. As reported by ANI, this is an away series for India, with Afghanistan designated as the official home side despite the matches being played in Delhi.
Explaining the decision at the toss, Iyer said: "We are going to bowl first. Whenever you come to Delhi, you know what the pitch has got to offer; it usually is a bowl-first wicket. We had a lot of positives in Zimbabwe; we will try and continue on that."
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah returns to the Indian side for his first T20I appearance since IPL 2026, according to ANI. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi misses out, with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson coming into the playing XI. The Tribune also noted that Samson's inclusion came despite Sooryavanshi's impressive performances in the Zimbabwe T20I series. Free Press Journal described the move as a "bold decision" by Iyer in his first home game as India's T20I captain.
NewsX reported that Sooryavanshi had earned the Player of the Series award in India's previous T20I leg, making his T20I debut in Manchester against England in July and playing three T20Is on that tour. The same report noted that in IPL 2026 he aggregated 776 runs and won five awards. Sooryavanshi opened the innings in Zimbabwe with scores of 50, 20, and 81, winning Player of the Series as India completed a 3-0 series sweep. He also performed well in the Duleep Trophy 2026, with his side East Zone lifting the trophy after 13 years.
Playing XIs
India's playing XI for the match is: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy. This lineup was carried by both Free Press Journal and The Tribune.
Afghanistan's playing XI is: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Captains' Reactions
Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his side would also have preferred to bowl first but will now focus on posting a strong total. Speaking at the toss, as quoted by The Tribune, Zadran said: "It is a great feeling to host India in India. We are trying to have a good series against them." He also noted that Naveen is not playing, adding, "we will think about him in the next games."
Iyer, meanwhile, backed Bumrah as a match-winner, saying: "We know Bumrah is a match-winner." He also confirmed the exclusion of Sooryavanshi and Washington, stating: "Vaibhav is not playing, Washington is not playing, and two more."
Series Details
The first T20I will be followed by the second match on September 15 and the third on September 17, with all three games scheduled in New Delhi, as reported by Free Press Journal. The matches will be telecast live on the Sony Sports channels in India, with live streaming available on FanCode. India will look to start the series strongly, while Afghanistan will aim to use their spin strength and challenge the hosts ahead of the Asian Games.