Afghanistan Cricket Board on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against India. The series is scheduled from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Afghanistan will be designated the home side for the series even though all matches will be played on Indian soil. Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been named captain which is his first assignment as Afghanistan’s full-time T20I skipper after taking over from Rashid Khan. 

Apart from him, the squad has experience and youth, featuring big names such as Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai. Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Noor Rahman has earned a call-up as the second wicket-keeper, while all-rounder Gulbadin Naib has returned to add middle-order depth and bowling options.

The series will be the first bilateral T20I contest between the two teams. It follows India’s clean sweep of a one-off Test and three ODIs in June. Afghanistan are expected to arrive early for a preparatory camp.

Squad: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq.  

Reserves: Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal, Fareed Ahmad Malik.

Naveen ul Haq returns to the Afghanistan squad after nearly 2 years

The biggest news in the squad is the inclusion of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who returns to the national side for the first time in nearly two years. The right-arm seamer last played for Afghanistan in December 2024. A stress fracture in his right shoulder ruled him out of the T20I series against West Indies and the entire ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 forcing him to undergo surgery and miss more than eight months of international cricket. His comeback strengthens a pace unit that already includes Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Azmatullah Omarzai. Naveen’s experience and ability to bowl at the death will be crucial against a strong Indian batting line-up. 

Naveen-ul-Haq has played 48 T20Is for Afghanistan and picked up 67 wickets at an impressive average of 18.73 with an economy rate of around 7.78 and a strike rate of 14.4. His best figures in the format are 4 for 20. In ODIs he has played in 15 matches, picking 22 wickets at an average of 32.18 and an economy of 6.14, with his best bowling being 4 for 42. Across all T20 cricket, including franchise leagues, he has played in more than 220 matches and taken more than 270 wickets at an average of around 24, with a best of 5 for 11. In the IPL he has played for Lucknow Super Giants and picked up 25 wickets in 18 matches at 23.64.