Naveen ul Haq for Afghanistan. Image Credits: AFPAfghanistan will compete against India in the third and final T20I of the 2026 series on Thursday, September 17. The match will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi at 7:30 PM IST.Afghanistan have already lost the series after losing the first two T20Is. Hence, they will now play for their pride to ensure the series ends on a high note for them.Interestingly, Afghanistan fielded their best possible combination for the first 2 games, but the Indian side was ruthless and didn’t allow the Afghans to fight back.Regardless, with the team’s pride at stake, Afghanistan will surely go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan and strategy.On that note, let’s analyse Afghanistan’s predicted playing XI vs India for the 3rd T20I, 2026.Top Order - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal Rahmanullah Gurbaz is almost certain to remain at the top. He was dismissed for a duck in the second T20I, but that is unlikely to be enough to cost him his place, particularly because he is one of Afghanistan's established match-winners.Moreover, Ibrahim Zadran should continue to open alongside Gurbaz. He was Afghanistan's top scorer in the second T20I, making 37 off 33 balls, including six fours. This is also an important series for Ibrahim personally because it is his first assignment as Afghanistan's full-time T20I captain. Sediqullah Atal, meanwhile, is another player likely to retain his position. He has been viewed as one of Afghanistan's promising batting options and gives the lineup a left-handed presence. However, Afghanistan will need more aggression from him in the third game. His strike rate of 80 in the second T20I was considerably lower than what was required from a top-order batter.Also Read - Most Runs By Afghanistan Batters vs India In T20Is Till September 2026Middle Order - Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi Gulbadin Naib should continue at No. 4 because of the balance he provides. His all-round ability is particularly valuable because Afghanistan already have several specialist spinners. On the other hand, Darwish Rasooli produced an aggressive innings in the second T20I, scoring 26 from just 15 balls, with one four and two sixes. That innings came at a strike rate of 173.33, exactly the sort of acceleration Afghanistan needed between overs 10 and 18. Hence, he has a strong case to retain his place.Azmatullah Omarzai, meanwhile, is a crucial all-rounder who can contribute in multiple departments. Hence, his place is more or less sealed for the third T20I. Also, Mohammad Nabi appears as an automatic selection.His experience becomes especially important in a situation where Afghanistan need to construct an innings around Rashid Khan and their other explosive players. Bowlers - Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi In the bowling department, Rashid Khan will lead the spin department as Afghanistan’s most skilful and successful bowler. He showed his all-round brilliance in the second T20I by picking up 3 wickets and scoring 28 off 16 balls with the bat.Noor Ahmed, meanwhile, gives Afghanistan another high-quality left-arm wrist-spin option. Though he was wicketless in the second T20I, the left-arm spinner was still economical.Mujeeb ur Rahman should retain his place as another specialist spinner even though he bowled an expensive spell in the last game. As for fast bowling, Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled just one over in the last game. And for this very reason, Naveen-ul-Haq might find a place in the playing XI. He recently faced a shoulder injury and is on his comeback route. Since the match has become inconsequential from the series POV, he might be given a go ahead and might be the only change that Afghanistan make.Also Read - IPL 2027 Auction To Be Held In India, Overseas Venue Abandoned
