Afghanistan Home 2027 Tours: Zim, India ACB Decoded

The Afghanistan home calendar has been one of the more complicated logistical puzzles in international cricket for the past five years, and the 2027 home cycle adds two of the most-watched tours yet. The ACB has confirmed Zimbabwe and India as the home tour partners for 2027, with Sharjah and Dehradun as the primary venue options, security clearance still in process for one of the tours, and broadcast partnerships signed for both. The home calendar is the cleanest financial cycle the ACB has had in its full-member history.

The home calendar structure and the venue selection

The home calendar structure for 2027 includes two tours hosted at neutral venues, with Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun as the primary venue options. The ACB has used both venues as home grounds in past cycles, with Sharjah hosting the majority of the home fixtures and Dehradun emerging as the secondary option for India-region tours. The venue selection is driven by the operational practicalities of hosting senior international cricket without home soil.

The Sharjah selection is straightforward. The venue has been the ACB's primary home ground for white-ball cricket, with the surface and the floodlight infrastructure suited to ACC-region scheduling. The Dehradun selection has been driven by the BCCI's cooperation in the ACB's home cycle, with the BCCI providing the venue and the logistical support for ACB home matches. The venue selection per tour is finalised through a process that involves the touring board, the ACB, and the host venue operator.

The Zimbabwe tour and the bilateral context

The Zimbabwe tour to Afghanistan in 2027 is scheduled as a two-Test, three-ODI, and three-T20I series, with the format split across the longer red-ball matches and the shorter white-ball fixtures. The proposed window is the first quarter of 2027, with the white-ball fixtures at Sharjah and the Tests at a venue still under negotiation. The Test venue option is the more complicated piece because of the surface and the climate requirements for the longer format.

The bilateral context with Zimbabwe is straightforward, with both boards having a long-standing fixture relationship and a regular cricket schedule. The Zimbabwe Cricket board has confirmed full squad availability for the tour, with the senior Zimbabwe players including Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, and Brendan Taylor all available subject to fitness. The tour is a meaningful series for both sides, with the ICC FTP cycle requirements and the wider international calendar shaping the scheduling. For wider context, see our Asia Cup 2027 hub.

The India tour and the political pathway

The India tour to Afghanistan in 2027 is the headline of the home calendar. The proposed format is a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20I series, with all matches at Dehradun. The tour does not include a Test component for this cycle, with the Tests deferred to the subsequent FTP window. The BCCI has confirmed senior squad availability subject to the international calendar, and the tour is positioned as a development series that gives the Indian white-ball pipeline meaningful match minutes against an opposition that has been consistently competitive.

The political pathway for the India tour has been smoother than for previous ACB home cycles. The BCCI has been a consistent supporter of the ACB's full-member status and has provided venue and logistical support for past home tours. The current cycle continues that pattern. The tour is scheduled in a window that avoids the major Indian international calendar conflicts, with the September window targeted for the white-ball series.

The security clearance and the operational pathway

The security clearance for the Zimbabwe tour Test component remains in process. The clearance is required for the host venue operator and the touring side, with the relevant security agencies assessing the venue, the team accommodation, and the logistical routes. The clearance process is standard for international cricket hosted at neutral venues, with the ACB managing the process in coordination with the host venue operator and the touring board.

The Sharjah venue has the established security clearance protocols that have supported multiple ACB home cycles. The clearance for the Dehradun matches is straightforward because of the existing BCCI venue operation. The Test venue clearance is the open piece, and the ACB has indicated that the venue selection will be finalised once the clearance is confirmed. The operational pathway is therefore largely in place, with the one outstanding item being the Test venue.

The broadcast partnerships and the audience reach

The broadcast partnerships for both tours have been signed, with the broadcast rights structured around the major regional rights holders and a digital streaming pathway. The Zimbabwe tour broadcast includes the Zimbabwe Cricket regional partnership and an Afghanistan-region digital platform. The India tour broadcast leverages the established BCCI rights holder partnership, with the matches available on the major Indian sports broadcasters and the digital streaming platforms.

The audience reach for the India tour is expected to be the largest of any ACB home series in recent cycles. The senior India side draws a substantial broadcast audience across the Indian subcontinent and the wider international market, and the home tour format ensures that the audience reach is preserved despite the neutral venue setting. The Zimbabwe tour audience reach is more modest but consistent with previous ACB home cycles. For wider broadcast context, see our WTC Final 2027 host bidding explainer.

The financial cycle and the ACB sustainability

The 2027 home cycle is the cleanest financial cycle the ACB has had in its full-member history. The broadcast revenues from the two tours, combined with the ICC distribution and the host fee arrangements, produce a positive cash flow position for the ACB. The financial sustainability of the board has been a long-standing concern, and the 2027 cycle provides meaningful breathing room.

The financial cycle is supported by the cooperation of the host venue operators and the touring boards. The Sharjah and the Dehradun arrangements are not commercially extractive, with the host fees structured to support the ACB's operational requirements rather than to maximise the host venue's revenue. The wider international cricket community has been generally supportive of the ACB's financial sustainability, and the 2027 cycle reflects that support. For wider scheduling context, see our The Hundred 2026 hub.

The wider Afghan cricket pathway

The wider Afghan cricket pathway is shaped by the home calendar in important ways. The senior players need consistent international cricket to maintain their form and to develop the younger players coming through the system. The home calendar provides that consistency, and the 2027 cycle is the most meaningful home schedule the senior squad has had in recent years. The development pathway from the under-19 system into the senior squad relies on senior international cricket as the final stage, and the home calendar is the key enabler.

What the cycle tells us

The cycle tells us that the ACB has built a working home calendar template despite the operational complexity of hosting at neutral venues. The cooperation of the BCCI, Zimbabwe Cricket, and the venue operators in Sharjah and Dehradun is the foundation, and the broadcast partnerships are the financial layer. The 2027 cycle is the strongest home calendar in the ACB's history, and the lessons from the cycle will shape the planning for the subsequent FTP windows. Afghan cricket has overcome bigger obstacles than the home venue question, and the 2027 calendar is the proof of that capacity.