Afghanistan will reportedly host India for the first time in their cricketing history, with the three-match T20I series to be held in New Delhi later this year.
The series is scheduled to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 16, and 19, but both boards are awaiting an official confirmation.
Over the past decade, Afghans have been using India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as their adopted home venues due to ongoing geopolitical challenges in their country.
They had earlier hosted Ireland in Greater Noida in 2017 and Bangladesh in Dehradun in 2018, continuing India’s trend of providing logistical and infrastructural support to Afghan cricket.
The proposal was made by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the two boards having a strong working relationship over several years of cooperation.
A BCCI source said that the understanding has been reached, and it is only a matter of formalities before a formal announcement is made.
“BCCI and ACB have a good relation. The Indian board has also helped other boards like Ireland, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe by sending Indian teams to play series there to help their cricket development and finances. An agreement has been reached in this respect, and an official announcement will be made after the completion of a few modalities,” the source said.
The BCCI is also believed to have helped broker talks between the ACB and Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to finalize venue arrangements for Afghanistan’s designated home series in India.
It is also understood that DDCA is working on the domestic Delhi Premier League T20 schedule to fit in the international fixtures.
