Why India are playing as 'away' team in Delhi for Afghanistan T20I series: Explained

India kicks off their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with the inaugural game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. Despite the matches being hosted in India, Afghanistan is the official home side for the series. The Afghanistan Cricket Board will host all three T20Is at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with the subsequent two encounters also scheduled at the same venue. Both teams are employing the series as a preparatory opportunity for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

India will assume the role of the visiting team, playing as the away side, since Afghanistan serves as the designated hosts of the series. For security reasons, Afghanistan is unable to host international matches within their own nation; hence, they compete at home in India or the UAE. This marks Afghanistan's first encounter with India on Indian soil, and it will also be a first for Indian cricket, as it will be the first time they will play a home match without being the home team. In the 94-year history of Indian cricket, this unique situation has never transpired before.

As the home side, Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran will toss the coin to commence the match, while India captain Shreyas Iyer will decide whether to call heads or tails. The Arun Jaitley Stadium features separate dressing rooms for the home and visiting teams. For this series, Afghanistan will utilize the home dressing room, while India will occupy the visitors' dressing room.

The series not only offers Afghanistan a chance to earn revenue from broadcast rights, ticket sales, and in-stadium commercial rights through a "home away from home" series in India, but it also provides the Afghanistan Cricket Board with an additional avenue for financial gain.