Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - (Source: AFP)On Sunday, September 13, India will shift their focus back on white-ball cricket when they face Afghanistan for the 1st of a three-match T20I series. Interestingly, Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host all three high-octane clashes.For the 1st time in 2026, the two teams will meet for a T20I series in India. However, this time around, Afghanistan are the hosts and India as the visiting side, despite playing all the games in Delhi. Talking about the two teams, Afghanistan have named a solid side, whereas India have also named a first-string side. Shreyas Iyer will lead the side. India have dealt a setback that Harshit Rana will not be available for selection because of a fresh injury. Yash Thakur has earned a call-up after an impressive show in Zimbabwe.Meanwhile, this article will shed light on India’s predicted playing XI for the 1st T20I vs Afghanistan. Openers and top order: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan KishanVaibhav Sooryavanshi: Sooryavanshi made his India debut against England, where he was dropped from the team after just 3 T20Is. The 15-year-old showed a glimpse of his IPL version against Zimbabwe, where he scored 151 runs in 3 innings. Recency is bias, and the management might also push for Sooryavanshi to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma ahead of Sanju Samson, who had a poor UK tour as well.Abhishek Sharma: The southpaw was India’s only positive against England, scoring 131 runs in 5 innings. However, Sharma amassed just 11 runs in 3 innings against Zimbabwe. The 2026 T20 World Cup winner shrugged off any doubts with a brilliant Sher-e-Punjab, amassing 242 runs in 5 innings.Ishan Kishan: Ishan Kishan is having the time of his life. Since he won the SMAT with Jharkhand, he returned to the Indian team, won the T20 World Cup, led a side in IPL, and now has his hands on the Duleep Trophy title as well. The No. 1-ranked T20I batter scored 145 runs in 3 innings, which included a fifty. He recently suffered an injury scare, but will be fit in time for the 1st T20I.Middle order and all-rounders: Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington SundarShreyas Iyer: The India captain will bat at No.4. He is under a lot of pressure because of his poor start as India captain. The right-hand batter’s first win came in his 3rd series as a leader, which was against Zimbabwe. The 31-year-old is all set for his first series as a captain in India.Tilak Varma: Tilak Varma is doing really well in longer formats, but he has been criticised for his strike-rate in T20Is. Talking about 2026, Varma has 462 runs in 19 innings, averaging 35.53. He has batted with a strike-rate of 148, which often drops to 115-120 on a challenging track.Shivam Dube: Shivam Dube will be there in the middle-order because India lack genuine fast-bowling all-rounders. His explosive batting and four overs with the ball will be crucial against Afghanistan.Nitish Kumar Reddy: The 23-year-old is finally set to return to the Indian team following a long absence because of injury. The star all-rounder last featured against New Zealand and missed the crucial UK tour as well as the Afghanistan T20Is.Also Read: India's All-Rounder Receives Medical Clearance For Afghanistan T20I SeriesSince Hardik Pandya continues to be out of the team, NKR will be part of the playing XI in the 1st T20I against Afghanistan.Washington Sundar: In another boost, Washington Sundar has also cleared his fitness Test and will return to the side. The Gautam Gambhir management is likely to prefer Sundar ahead of Axar Patel in the playing XI, following Patel’s horror show in the UK.Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun ChakaravarthyArshdeep Singh: Arshdeep Singh will spearhead the bowling attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah, who is also returning from a long injury delay. Arshdeep is under the scanner because of his underwhelming performance against England and Ireland (8 wickets in 6 innings). However, leading India’s T20I wicket-taker being out of the playing XI is not possible.Jasprit Bumrah: The right-arm seamer needs no introduction. Bumrah will lead the pace attack, and the key will be to see how match-fit he is.Varun Chakaravarthy: Among the spinners, Varun will get a go ahead of Ravi Bishnoi and will be the sole frontline spinner in the playing XI against Afghanistan.India Predicted Playing XI vs Afghanistan- 1st T20I, 2026Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun ChakaravarthyAlso Read: Shubman Gill Misses Out As KL Rahul Named As India’s ‘Big Player’ For New Zealand Tests
