Hardik Pandya’s wait for a return to India’s T20I side has been extended again. The all-rounder was left out of the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi. Shreyas Iyer will captain the Indian team for the series. Tilak Varma has been named his deputy. Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah are among the notable names returning to the squad.
Bumrah’s involvement in the series will depend on his fitness. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana are also subject to fitness clearance before they can take part in the matches.
Sanju Samson Returns to India Squad
Sanju Samson has returned to the T20I team after missing the Zimbabwe series. Varun Chakaravarthy has also been included after recovering from his hamstring injury.
Chakaravarthy picked up the injury during India’s England tour. He spent time at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru as he worked towards regaining full fitness. Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Hardik Pandya were also among the players training at the facility.
15 Squad Players
3 T20Is
4 Fitness Watch
1 Major Omission
HP
Hardik Pandya
Another injury setback has delayed his return to India’s T20I side.
Left Out
Shreyas Iyer
Captain • Batter
Abhishek Sharma
All-Rounder
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Batter
Sanju Samson
Wicketkeeper
Ishan Kishan
Wicketkeeper
Tilak Varma
Vice-Captain • Batter
Shivam Dube
All-Rounder
Nitish Kumar Reddy*
All-Rounder
Axar Patel
All-Rounder
Washington Sundar*
All-Rounder
Varun Chakaravarthy
Spinner
Jasprit Bumrah*
Fast Bowler
Arshdeep Singh
Fast Bowler
Harshit Rana*
Fast Bowler
Jasprit Bumrah
Clearance Required
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Clearance Required
Washington Sundar
Clearance Required
Harshit Rana
Clearance Required
Returns after missing the Zimbabwe series.
Returns after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Returns but requires fitness clearance.
India vs Afghanistan T20I Schedule
3 MATCHES
September 13
India
VS
Afghanistan
Venue: Delhi
September 15
India
VS
Afghanistan
Venue: Delhi
September 17
India
VS
Afghanistan
Venue: Delhi
Hardik Pandya Faces Another Injury Setback
Hardik’s latest setback comes after a long period away from international cricket. He last represented India during the T20 World Cup final this year. His most recent competitive appearance came for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 on May 24.
The all-rounder was initially picked for India’s three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at home. A leg strain forced him to withdraw from that squad before the series. The injury also ruled Hardik out of India’s next white-ball assignments in Ireland and England. India played eight T20Is and three ODIs across those tours, with Hardik unable to take part.
Hardik had been putting in intense work at the BCCI Centre of Excellence as he looked to make his comeback. According to a report by the Times of India, he suffered another leg niggle before India’s latest squad was announced. He had returned to full fitness and was training hard in Bengaluru, but the fresh issue has forced him to stop bowling for now.
India’s Afghanistan series will begin on September 13 and run until September 17. The assignment is being treated as an away series, with Hardik now set to miss another opportunity to return to the national T20I setup.
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