Sanju Samson back, no update on Hardik Pandya as BCCI announces India squad for Afghanistan T20Is

All matches in the India-Afghanistan T20I series will be played in New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, between September 13 and 17.

Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah returned to the Indian T20I team as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad on Tuesday for the upcoming white-ball series against Afghanistan. India will play three matches against Afghanistan, all at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, between September 13 and 17.

Sanju Samson was not part of the Zimbabwe tour (AFP)

Samson was not part of the tour of Zimbabwe in late July, where the selectors gave wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh an opportunity after his T20 exploits in the last two seasons of the IPL with Punjab Kings (PBKS), while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the batting for India.

While the BCCI did not state a reason for Samson's exclusion — whether he was rested or dropped — the decision came after a string of low scores on the tours of Ireland and England. He was subsequently dropped for the second T20I against England in Manchester, paving the way for Sooryavanshi's India debut.

Bumrah, meanwhile, has been picked for the T20I team for the first time since the World Cup final against New Zealand earlier this year in Ahmedabad. However, his participation is subject to fitness clearance. He injured his knee during the ODI tour of England in July and subsequently missed the Test series in Sri Lanka.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, however, has not been picked, with his return to the Indian side delayed. He has not been in action since the end of the IPL 2026 season after reportedly suffering a leg injury while training at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru earlier this year.

Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been named for the series, although their participation is subject to fitness clearance. Both had suffered hamstring injuries.

The rest of the squad remains the same as the one the BCCI picked for the Asian Games, which will be held in Japan in September.

The series is part of Afghanistan's Future Tours Programme and will be played in India, where Afghanistan have played their home fixtures in recent years.

India’s squad: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*

NOTE: * Subject to fitness clearance