India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I in Delhi to go ahead as scheduled on September 13, confirms DDCA

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) confirmed on September 10, 2026, that the India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I, scheduled for September 13 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, will proceed as planned. The announcement puts an end to the uncertainty that had gathered around the fixture over the preceding days.

DDCA decided after holding a meeting with Delhi Traffic Police, following which the association received assurance of all necessary support and arrangements for the match.

"India–Afghanistan 1st T20I on 13 September at Arun Jaitley Stadium will go ahead as scheduled. Following a meeting with Delhi Traffic Police, DDCA has been assured of all necessary support and arrangements. No postponement," DDCA posted on X.

With the confirmation now in place, all three matches in the T20I series between India and Afghanistan will be held at Arun Jaitley Stadium, running from September 13 to September 17, 2026, with every fixture starting at 7 pm IST.

Why was the September 13 match at risk of being postponed?

The BRICS Summit is scheduled for September 11-13, 2026, in New Delhi, drawing world leaders to the capital and activating extensive VVIP security protocols across the city. Delhi Police raised concerns about the feasibility of hosting a high-attendance cricket fixture on the summit's final day, pointing to the scale of VVIP movements and the security restrictions that would be active simultaneously.

The Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police formalised those concerns by writing an official letter to DDCA requesting that the match be rescheduled. Schools and government offices in Delhi are set to remain closed throughout the summit period, and authorities issued advisories covering road closures and traffic diversions across the city.

A central logistical issue was the geography involved. Arun Jaitley Stadium and Bharat Mandapam, the venue hosting the BRICS Summit, sit roughly five kilometres from each other, with Mahatma Gandhi Road serving as the main connecting route. Running both events on the same day would have placed considerable pressure on that corridor.

What are the arrangements for the full T20I series?

All three T20I fixtures will be staged at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, with the series opening on September 13 and concluding by September 17, 2026. Each match carries a 7 pm IST start time.

The opening fixture is expected to attract between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators. With Delhi Traffic Police now committed to providing the necessary support, crowd access and movement arrangements are expected to be finalised well ahead of the September 13 start.

The decision to keep the schedule intact is significant for both boards. It preserves the original fixture plan for a full three-match T20I series in the Indian capital without any disruption to dates or venue.