Afghanistan Tour India 2026 Day 1: Greater Noida Timings

The Afghanistan tour of India 2026 opens with a T20I at Greater Noida's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex on May 28, 2026, with a 7:00 PM IST first-ball start, toss at 6:30 PM and gates open from 4:30 PM. Broadcast is on JioHotstar streaming with Star Sports television in India, while Afghan viewers tune in to ATN Sports and RTA Sport. Ticket allocation runs through BookMyShow with the host association portal as the secondary path, with tier prices indicative from 500 INR for general stand to 4,500 INR for the premium pavilion. The series is treated by both sides as preview material for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, with squad rotations and venue trials embedded in the planning.

Tour Schedule

The 2026 Afghanistan tour of India is structured as a three-T20I series, used by both sides as final preparation work for the T20 World Cup window that follows in June.

Match	Date	Venue	IST Start	Toss
1st T20I	May 28, 2026	Greater Noida (Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Complex)	7:00 PM	6:30 PM
2nd T20I	May 30, 2026	Lucknow (BRSABV Ekana Stadium)	7:00 PM	6:30 PM
3rd T20I	Jun 01, 2026	Indore (Holkar Stadium)	7:00 PM	6:30 PM

Dates are subject to BCCI confirmation. Greater Noida hosts Afghanistan's designated home venue ties as well as bilateral fixtures, and its inclusion here reflects both convenience and Afghan supporter density in the NCR region.

Day-by-Day Kickoff Times (IST + Local)

T20I starts at 7:00 PM IST translate as below in major cricket-following markets. The Afghan time zone (Afghanistan Time, AFT) is 1 hour 30 minutes behind IST.

Match	IST	Afghan (AFT)	UK (BST)	Aus East (AEST)	USA East (EDT)
1st T20I	7:00 PM	5:30 PM	2:30 PM	11:30 PM	9:30 AM
2nd T20I	7:00 PM	5:30 PM	2:30 PM	11:30 PM	9:30 AM
3rd T20I	7:00 PM	5:30 PM	2:30 PM	11:30 PM	9:30 AM

Sunset in Greater Noida around late May is approximately 7:00 PM IST, so the second innings will be played under floodlights.

Where to Watch

Region	TV Broadcaster	OTT / Streaming	Notes
India	Star Sports network	JioHotstar	Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu
Afghanistan	ATN Sports / RTA Sport	ATN Mobile	Free-to-air on RTA
United Kingdom	TNT Sports	discovery+	Subscription
Australia	Fox Cricket	Kayo	Cricket sports tier
United States	Willow TV	Willow / Sling	Cricket package
South Africa	SuperSport	DStv Stream	Cricket package
Pakistan	A Sports	Tamasha	Subject to feed clearance
Bangladesh	T Sports	Toffee	Subject to BTRC carriage
New Zealand	Sky Sport NZ	Sky Go	Cricket subscription

JioHotstar Premium runs 299-499 INR per month in India, with annual plans cheaper. Free-to-air broadcasting in Afghanistan via RTA Sport gives the series broad domestic reach.

Tickets and Pricing (Indicative)

Greater Noida's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex holds approximately 35,000 spectators. Pricing reflects modest tier rates given the venue's recent return to international rotation.

Tier	T20I Price (Greater Noida)	T20I Price (Lucknow)	T20I Price (Indore)
General Stand	500 INR	600 INR	600 INR
Reserved Stand	1,500 INR	1,800 INR	1,800 INR
Premium Stand	2,500 INR	3,000 INR	3,000 INR
Premium Pavilion	4,500 INR	5,500 INR	5,500 INR
Corporate Box	8,500 INR	10,000 INR	10,000 INR

BookMyShow handles primary release. Photo ID linked to the booking is checked at gate entry. Bag size is restricted to one A4-sized bag per spectator and outside food is not permitted.

Venue Logistics

Greater Noida's sports complex sits on the Yamuna Expressway corridor, roughly 50 kilometres from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Aqua Line metro extends to Greater Noida with the Pari Chowk station the nearest, requiring a short cab onwards to the venue. Match-day cab surge pricing on the expressway is significant in the final hour before first ball.

Lucknow's Ekana Stadium is 17 kilometres from Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport, and Indore's Holkar Stadium is centrally located within the city. Both venues offer better local transport links than Greater Noida.

T20 World Cup Audition Layer

The T20 World Cup 2026 in India runs late June through mid-July (subject to ICC final fixture confirmation), so this Afghanistan series sits in the final calendar gap before squads lock for the tournament. India will likely test combinations for the No. 4 batting slot and the third seam-bowling option, while Afghanistan's spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb and Noor Ahmad gets one final bilateral run on Indian conditions.

The longer-form schedule and squad note for this tour is in our Afghanistan tour India 2026 schedule, squads and venues guide. The T20 World Cup setup is detailed in our T20 World Cup 2026 venues, schedule and format explained, and the geopolitical context around Afghan women's cricket and ICC funding is captured in our Afghanistan women's team ICC funding controversy 2026.

What to Watch For

Greater Noida T20Is in late May historically see 175-185 par scores on a true-bounce surface, with dew arriving around the second innings. India's captain (subject to BCCI's WC squad call) will be tested on field placements against Afghanistan's power-hitting middle order led by Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi. The Rashid Khan vs Indian top-order battle is the centrepiece, as it has been since 2017. The third T20I in Indore on a high-scoring Holkar surface may give us the best read on India's death bowling options before the World Cup squad locks in early June.