Why Afghanistan is Playing Home Series Against India in Delhi?

The Indian Cricket Team is all set to play a series against Afghanistan in June, which includes one test match and 3 ODIs. This Afghanistan vs India series 2026 resumes the international cricket calendar for the Indian Cricket Team, who will be starting with a test match, followed by 3 ODIs.

Ahead of the start of this series, big news is coming regarding the Afghanistan vs India T20I series, which will be hosted by Afghanistan this time, but in Delhi. This news came out to be a big thing for the Afghan side to host India, but a thing which made fans question is how Afghanistan is considered as the host of the series against India in India, an away country.

Why AFG vs IND Home Series in India?

In the recent development, the Afghanistan Cricket Board will reportedly announce a reverse tour to India in September after being the visiting team in June for a test match and 3 ODIs. The official announcement of the Afghanistan vs India T20I series schedule is yet to be made, but Sept 13, 16 and 19 will likely be dates for this series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, ahead of the Asian Games 2026, which will commence on September 23.

The main reason behind the scheduling of Afghanistan's home series in India is primarily due to ongoing political instability and security concerns within Afghanistan, which restrict them from hosting international matches in the country. However, this won't be the first time that Afghanistan has used India to host its home series, as India and the UAE have been the primary home turfs for Afghanistan. This shows the good relations between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the richest cricket board in the world, the BCCI.

Previous Instances of Afghanistan Hosting Home Series in India

The Afghanistan vs India series 2026 in India, hosted by Afghanistan, will be the first time Afghanistan hosts a series against India in India. There have been several instances where Afghanistan has hosted some of the best cricket teams in the world, in India. In 2017, they hosted Ireland in a multi-format tour, followed by a New Zealand one-off test in 2024, all at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida. Other instances include Afghanistan hosting Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, in 2018, as well as West Indies in a multi-format tour at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, in 2019.