The schedule for the three-match T20 international series between India and Afghanistan, planned for September, may change. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a request to hold one of the matches on September 14, which is Ganesh Chaturthi day.
Currently, both boards have agreed on the dates for the series as September 13, 15, and 17. All three games are scheduled to take place at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. However, according to sources, the ACB insists on holding one of the matches specifically on September 14.
According to the original schedule, the matches were set for Sunday, September 13, Tuesday, September 15, and Thursday, September 17. The ACB aims to replace one of the games scheduled for September 13 or 15 with a match taking place on Monday, September 14. Typically, playing matches on a Monday raises concerns about a drop in viewership, but the ACB hopes that thanks to the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and the festive atmosphere, the Monday match can also attract fans.
If the BCCI agrees to this proposal, the series schedule will change, and the match between India and Afghanistan will gain a special cultural flavor on Ganesh Chaturthi day.
Negotiations are also underway regarding the broadcasting rights for the series. ACB has begun discussions with major television broadcasters. According to sources, talks are ongoing with Sony Sports and Star Sports. It is expected that all three T20 matches will be available for digital streaming on FanCode. However, the situation regarding television broadcasting remains unclear.
ITW Universe is responsible for media rights and on-field branding during this series.
It is worth noting that these three matches will count as Afghanistan's home series under the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), but the games themselves will be held in India. Afghanistan has hosted its home international matches in India in recent years. Nevertheless, this will be the first time Afghanistan holds its 'home' series against India on Indian soil.
These three matches are also of great importance for both teams in preparation for the upcoming Asian Games.
Following the confirmation of the T20 series between India and Afghanistan in September, India's tour of Bangladesh is effectively frozen. This means that the trip to Bangladesh by India is likely not to happen. Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a schedule including three ODIs and three T20s against India from September 1 to 6 and September 9 to 13, respectively. However, given the current relations between the two countries, government approval was required for this visit.
Bangladesh Sports Minister Aminul Haque had previously stated that the government was trying to overcome disagreements between the parties and hoped for a quick resolution. But now, after the confirmation of the India-Afghanistan T20 series schedule for September, the probability of an Indian visit to Bangladesh looks extremely low.
