DELHI: Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against the United Arab Emirates in the 28th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
Captain Rashid Khan said the decision was influenced by the conditions for the early start, expecting the surface to be “softer” in the morning and better for batting later in the day. UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem said his side were prepared to bat first as well, but felt the ball could “do something in the first 2-3 overs”, adding that UAE were ready to accept that challenge.
UAE named Aryansh Sharma (wk), Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Syed Haider, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Simranjeet Singh, Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Jawadullah. Afghanistan’s XI features Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.
Both teams made changes: UAE brought in Simranjeet Singh and Syed Haider, while Afghanistan included Ziaur Rahman Sharifi in place of Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan hold a strong recent record in the matchup, leading 11–3 in T20Is, while UAE will be aiming to spring another surprise in Delhi.
