Breaking! Afghanistan Appoint This Indian Legend as New Mentor for T20 WC

With the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 approaching quickly, all teams are looking forward to strengthening their support staffs and coaching department. Team Afghanistan have done exactly the same as they have boosted their staff personnel with an Indian legend.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as the mentor for the T20 World Cup 2026. He will join the team ahead of their training camp for the tournament. This latest move showcases how interested Afghanistan are in strengthening their core team for the marquee event.

Afghanistan Appoints Dinesh Karthik as Mentor

The former India cricketer, Dinesh Karthik, is all set to become Afghanistan mentor for T20 World Cup 2026. The development was announced by the former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja, who had been in the same role for them before during the ODI World Cup 2023.

Karthik is popularly known for his vast experience in international cricket and the IPL. After retiring from IPL, he joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as their batting coach and mentor, and played a key role in the team's maiden title win in 2025.

Karthik's experience in Indian conditions will be handy for Afghanistan's players, who will be looking to create history in this edition. Overall, Karthik's appointment as the Afghanistan new mentor is a great news for Afghanistan, which has produced some of the best T20 bowlers in the world over the years. Afghanistan will step into the upcoming ICC event with a lot of confidence from their previous season where they qualified for the semi-finals but were defeated by South Africa.

For the marquee event, the ACB unveiled their 15-member squad which will be led by Rashid Khan. Interestingly, veteran all-rounder Gulbadin Naib and pacer Naveen-ul-Haq are set for their comebacks after recovering from injury. Apart from them, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also made his way into the squad by replacing AM Ghazanfar. In this tournament, Afghanistan are placed in Group D with New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and UAE.

Dinesh Karthik's Previous Stints as Support Staff

Dinesh Karthik in T20 World Cup 2026 isn't the first time he is serving as a part of the support staff. He has previously served as RCB's batting coach and mentor in 2025 where he helped them win their maiden title. To channelize his experience, the Men's Hundred team London Spirit appointed him as a mentor and batting coach for the upcoming season. Interestingly, this is his first support-staff role outside of the Indian Premier League.

It will be a different experience for Karthik while working with the Afghanistan team, which has some of the top-class talents in the world. Over the years, they have emerged as one of the best T20 teams in the world. With a massive support coming out of the nation, they can suprise a few teams here.