Afghanistan to host India in New Delhi, Bangladesh series appears off

Bangladesh's hopes of hosting India for a long-pending white-ball series in September appear to have suffered a major setback after the BCCI announced a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan during the same window.

India, led by Shreyas Iyer, will face Afghanistan in three T20Is in New Delhi from September 13 to 17, the BCCI and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The series overlaps with the window Bangladesh had proposed for its white-ball assignment against India. The India-Bangladesh bilateral series was postponed last year amid political unrest in Bangladesh.

The Afghanistan series is part of the ACB’s Future Tours Programme and will be treated as a home assignment for Afghanistan. The ACB has used India as a base for hosting international matches in recent years because of the volatile political situation in Afghanistan.

The first T20I will be played on September 13, followed by the second on September 15 and the third on September 17. All three matches will be held at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi.

Afghanistan most recently toured India for a three-match ODI series in June. The two sides had also played a three-match T20I series in January 2024.

India hosted Afghanistan for their first-ever Test in 2018, and the teams have continued to play each other regularly across formats.

BCCI President Mithun Manhas said the Indian board remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan and providing its players with opportunities to compete at the highest level.

"Bilateral cricket is an important part of this, as it allows teams to play regularly against quality opposition and gain valuable experience. We welcome the Afghanistan Cricket Board to India for this series and look forward to working closely with them to make it a successful one," he said.

"We believe there is scope to do more together and will continue to support Afghanistan cricket while strengthening the relationship between the two cricketing nations."

ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said the series was significant for Afghanistan cricket and represented another step in the longstanding relationship between the two boards.

"Hosting India for a bilateral series in India is a significant milestone for us, and we highly value the cooperation and support of the BCCI in making this event possible," Ashraf said.

(With PTI inputs)