India Squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Shreyas Iyer to Lead, Hardik Pandya Out

The BCCI has announced India’s 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shreyas Iyer named captain and Tilak Varma his deputy.

The series will be played from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The same squad will also form India’s core group for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are the two wicketkeeper options, while Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shivam Dube add depth to the batting and all-round options.

Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi make up the spin department. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are the main pace options.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana have been named subject to fitness clearance.

The squad also sees several changes from India’s recent T20I group. Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Prabhsimran Singh have missed out.

Hardik Pandya Ruled Out

The biggest absence is Hardik Pandya, who has been ruled out after suffering a fresh leg issue during his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Pandya had been progressing well and was training at full intensity, but discomfort forced him to pause bowling. With the Afghanistan series starting on September 13, the medical team felt there was not enough time for him to regain full match fitness.

Pandya has had limited competitive cricket in recent months because of recurring lower-body injuries. He has not played for India since the T20 World Cup final on March 8, 2026.

His last competitive appearance came for Mumbai Indians in the IPL on May 24. His latest setback also means he will miss the 2026 Asian Games, as the Afghanistan series squad will serve as India’s core roster for the tournament.