Shreyas Iyer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, June 2, Afghanistan announced a historic T20I series against India. The Afghans will host the Men in Blue for the first time in history. Interestingly, the series will be held in New Delhi, India and will take place in September.
The development comes days after India announced the Test and ODI squad for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan in June. Notably, the two teams will lock horns in a one-off Test match and three ODIs.
As mentioned above, the squads for ODIs and Tests are already out, and fans are eagerly waiting for the T20I squad. It is a perfect opportunity to reward IPL performers like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Therefore, one can expect most of the players to be fresh faces, and this article will shed light on India’s probable T20I squad for the Afghanistan series.
India's Predicted Squad For Afghanistan T20Is
Batters: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rajat Patidar, Ishan Kishan (VC)
India are most likely to name a batting-heavy team because it will suit their current attacking mindset. Shreyas Iyer will most likely lead the team in Suryakumar Yadav’s absence, who is expected to be shown the door.
The PBKS captain had a great season, where he scored 498 runs in 13 innings, averaging 55.33. Further, Ishan Kishan is likely to serve as his deputy. The southpaw was a key figure behind India’s T20 World Cup triumph and also had an impressive IPL season with 602 runs.
Rest, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will definitely be there. There are chances that the 15-year-old would have already made his India debut before this series. The youngster earned the orange cap for a 776-run season.
Also Read: Where To Watch Mumbai T20 2026 Live? SoBo Mumbai Falcons vs ARCS Andheri Live Streaming, Match 4
Among the openers, Prabhsimran Singh and Sai Sudharsan will be the other two options. Sai was the 3rd leading run-getter in IPL 2026 and scored 722 runs in 17 innings. Prabhsimran Singh, on the other hand, has been consistent for the last two season and needs to be awarded for that.
Rajat Patidar did the unthinkable and led RCB to their 2nd IPL title. The 33-year-old also deserves an India comeback as he had a brilliant series and scored 501 runs in 14 innings.
In the lower middle-order, the BCCI can entrust Naman Dhir and Ashutosh Sharma, who had quick and impactful knocks in IPL 2026, while matching the speed of the modern-day game demand.
All-Rounders: Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam
The two all-rounders likely to be picked for the Afghanistan series are Krunal Pandya and Rasikh Salam. The two RCB stars were the backbone of the middle-order. Krunal, who recently won his 5th IPL trophy, scored 226 runs in 9 innings, and picked up 14 wickets.
Rasikh Salam, on the other hand, had a superb season and picked up 19 wickets in 12 innings.
Bowlers: Anshul Kamboj, Kartik Tyagi, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Among the bowlers, BCCI is most likely to go ahead with four premium seamers because Rasikh Salam can act as the fifth seamer if needed.
Anshul Kamboj had a brilliant season for CSK and took 21 wickets in 14 innings. Further, Kartik Tyagi was not far behind and had 18 wickets to his name. Further, Prince Yadav earned his India selection for the Afghanistan series due to IPL performance.
Rest, Bhuvneshwar Kumar deserves an India comeback as the India seamer picked up 28 wickets. Also, Ravi Bishnoi will be the lead spinner.
India's Squad For Afghanistan T20Is Predicted
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rajat Patidar, Ishan Kishan (VC), Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam, Anshul Kamboj, Kartik Tyagi, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Also Read: Hardik Pandya Not Alone! IPL 2026 Captains Sitting On Time Bomb
