Quick answer: India beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets in the 1st T20I IND vs AFG at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Afghanistan posted 156 for 8 after collapsing to 43 for 5, rescued by Azmatullah Omarzai’s unbeaten 64. India chased it down in 13.4 overs on the back of Abhishek Sharma’s 82 off just 32 balls, who was named Player of the Match. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 19. India now lead the three match series 1 to 0.
Below is the complete scorecard for both innings, along with the award winners and full bowling breakdown.
IND vs AFG Match Summary
| Score | Overs | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 156/8 | 20.0 | |
| India | 157/3 | 13.4 | India won by 7 wickets |
Toss: India won the toss and chose to field first.
Afghanistan Innings: Full Batting Scorecard
Afghanistan batted first and posted 156 for 8, but the number hides a wild innings that swung from a near disaster to a defendable total.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz † | c Abhishek Sharma b Bumrah | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ibrahim Zadran (c) | run out (Kishan/Patel) | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 110.00 |
| Sediqullah Atal | c Bumrah b Arshdeep Singh | 13 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Gulbadin Naib | c Nitish Kumar Reddy b Patel | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Darwish Rasooli | b Varun Chakravarthy | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | not out | 64 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 145.45 |
| Mohammad Nabi | b Arshdeep Singh | 33 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 122.22 |
| Rashid Khan | c Patel b Arshdeep Singh | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Noor Ahmad | run out (Iyer) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | not out | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 300.00 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | did not bat |
Extras: 21 (b 1, lb 8, nb 2, w 10) Total: 156/8 in 20 overs (run rate 7.80)
Fall of Wickets (Afghanistan)
1-5 (Gurbaz, 0.2 ov), 2-38 (Zadran, 3.6 ov), 3-39 (Atal, 4.5 ov), 4-41 (Naib, 5.4 ov), 5-43 (Rasooli, 6.6 ov), 6-126 (Nabi, 16.2 ov), 7-131 (Rashid Khan, 18.2 ov), 8-131 (Noor Ahmad, 18.3 ov)
Look closely at that list and you can see exactly how the match turned. Afghanistan lost 5 wickets for just 43 runs inside 7 overs. Then Omarzai and Nabi batted together for the 6th wicket and added 83 runs, dragging the innings from the brink of collapse to a total that at least gave their bowlers something to defend.
Who Had the Best Bowling Figures for India?
Arshdeep Singh had the best bowling figures of the match with 3 for 19 from his 4 overs. Here’s the full bowling card for Afghanistan’s innings.
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh (best bowling) | 4 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 4.75 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 6.50 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 4.00 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Shivam Dube | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21.00 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
Arshdeep’s spell was the difference between Afghanistan folding for under 130 and reaching a semi-respectable 156. He picked up Sediqullah Atal early, then came back to remove both Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan late in the innings, right when Afghanistan were trying to push on. Varun Chakravarthy’s 1 for 16 from his 4 overs was the most economical spell of the night, and his googly that bowled Darwish Rasooli was the ball that pushed Afghanistan to 43 for 5.
Shivam Dube’s final over went for 21 runs, the most expensive over of the innings, and it was largely responsible for pushing Afghanistan from 135 for 8 up to their eventual 156.
India’s Chase: Full Batting Scorecard
Chasing 157, India lost an early wicket before Abhishek Sharma took the game away from Afghanistan almost single handedly.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson † | c Rasooli b Omarzai | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Abhishek Sharma | c Rashid Khan b Mohammad Nabi | 82 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 256.25 |
| Ishan Kishan | c Rashid Khan b Mohammad Nabi | 42 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 127.27 |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | not out | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 160.00 |
| Tilak Varma | not out | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
Did not bat: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Extras: 12 (lb 2, w 10) Total: 157/3 in 13.4 overs (run rate 11.48)
Fall of Wickets (India)
1-18 (Samson, 2.1 ov), 2-139 (Abhishek Sharma, 10.6 ov), 3-152 (Kishan, 12.4 ov)
The key partnership was the 121 run stand between Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan for the second wicket, which came off just 53 balls and effectively finished the contest before the 11th over was done. Abhishek reached his fifty in 22 balls and kept swinging, ending with 7 fours and 7 sixes in a strike rate above 256.
Afghanistan’s Bowling in the Chase
Afghanistan used a mix of their bowlers to try and slow India down, but only two picked up wickets. Mohammad Nabi finished with 2 for 28, accounting for both Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, while Azmatullah Omarzai picked up the wicket of Sanju Samson for 14 runs. The rest of Afghanistan’s attack, including Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi, went wicketless as the required rate never gave them a foothold in the game.
Who Won Player of the Match?
Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Match for his 82 off 32 balls, an innings that carried India home with more than 6 overs to spare. It was built on 7 fours and 7 sixes, and it turned what could have been a tense chase into a formality inside the powerplay and the overs right after it.
Interestingly, this series carries a second individual award alongside Player of the Match. Abhishek Sharma also picked up the Kotak Mahindra Hausla Hai to Ho Jayega Award for the game, a sponsor recognition that’s specific to this series.
How Did the Match Actually Swing?
If you only look at the final scoreline, this looks like a routine 7 wicket win. The story of the match is a lot more dramatic than that.
Jasprit Bumrah struck in his second ball of the match, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a golden duck. From there, Afghanistan’s top order kept falling. Ibrahim Zadran was run out for 11, Sediqullah Atal fell for 13, Gulbadin Naib and Darwish Rasooli both managed just 2 apiece, and by the end of the seventh over, Afghanistan were staring at 43 for 5.
That’s when Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi came together and simply refused to let the innings fall apart completely. They added 83 runs for the sixth wicket, with Nabi making a well paced 33 before Omarzai carried his bat to an unbeaten 64. Even after Nabi and two more wickets fell in quick succession late on, Afghanistan still limped to a total that gave their bowlers a fighting chance, at least on paper.
India never really let that chance materialize. Sanju Samson fell early, but Abhishek Sharma’s assault on Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mohammad Nabi’s bowling in the powerplay and the overs right after it meant the required rate was never a factor. By the time Abhishek finally holed out in the 11th over, India were already coasting.
Why Was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Left Out of the Playing XI?
This was a genuine talking point before a ball was even bowled. Sooryavanshi, the 15 year old batting sensation who has been scoring at a strike rate close to 196 in his recent outings, didn’t make India’s XI for this game. Instead, the team management picked Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma to open, keeping the batting order settled with more experienced hands for the series opener. Commentator Aakash Chopra had picked a similar XI without Sooryavanshi in his own pre-match analysis, suggesting this wasn’t a huge surprise to those following team combinations closely.
What Does This Result Mean for the Series?
India now lead the three match series 1 to 0. This series is officially called the Friendship Cup, even though every match is being played in Delhi with Afghanistan listed as the official host side. With this win, India’s head to head record against Afghanistan in T20Is moves to 9 wins from their last 10 meetings, with the only blemish being a no result at the 2023 Asian Games.
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd T20I | September 15, 2026 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| 3rd T20I | September 17, 2026 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
Both remaining matches are at the same ground, so the pitch behavior seen in this game, low and slow early on before Afghanistan’s batters got used to it, is worth keeping in mind for the next two.
Where Can You Watch the Highlights and Full Scorecard?
The match is available on JioHotstar and the Sony Sports Network for viewers with access in India. Full ball by ball scorecards and highlights packages are also available through ESPNcricinfo and other major cricket score platforms.
FAQs
Who won the IND vs AFG 1st T20 2026?
India won by 7 wickets, chasing down Afghanistan’s 156 for 8 with 38 balls to spare.
Who was the Player of the Match?
Abhishek Sharma, for his 82 off 32 balls in India’s chase.
Who had the best bowling figures in the match?
Arshdeep Singh, with 3 for 19 from his 4 overs for India.
What was the full scorecard of IND vs AFG 1st T20 2026?
Afghanistan scored 156 for 8 in 20 overs (Omarzai 64 not out, Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3-19). India replied with 157 for 3 in 13.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 82, Ishan Kishan 42; Mohammad Nabi 2-28).
Why did Afghanistan only manage 156?
They collapsed to 43 for 5 inside 7 overs, and only an 83 run partnership between Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi for the sixth wicket got them to a defendable total.
Why wasn’t Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI?
India’s team management chose Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma to open instead, despite Sooryavanshi’s strong recent form.
What is the IND vs AFG series score now?
India lead the three match series 1 to 0 after this result.
When is the next IND vs AFG match?
The second T20I is on September 15, 2026, at the same venue, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
For more on the match, see ESPNcricinfo’s full scorecard of the 1st T20I, the BCCI’s official series announcement, and the full series overview on Wikipedia.
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