Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib said the team is determined to make the most of their “second home” India during the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Having reached the semi-finals in 2024 — including a memorable win over Australia before falling to South Africa — Afghanistan enters the tournament with higher expectations but a clear focus on progress and the title.

Currently featuring in the ILT20, Naib emphasised that India’s conditions won’t pose major challenges for the team, thanks to their extensive experience in the Indian Premier League and other global T20 leagues.

“There’s nothing like that — even T20 cricket isn’t about expectation; it’s about the game, preparation, and execution. T20 cricket especially suits us, suits Afghanistan,” Naib told India Today in an interaction arranged by Dubai Capitals.

“Many of our players are playing in leagues worldwide, which is a big advantage. With the World Cup in India, it feels like home — our second home. We’ve played a lot of cricket in places like Dehradun and Lucknow, and our players have plenty of IPL experience. The conditions won’t be too challenging, and we’re looking forward to playing good cricket there. Expectations are high, but it’s all about pushing ourselves a little further than last time — even 10 percent more could make a huge difference,” he added.

Focus on World Cup preparation

Afghanistan’s T20 season has had its ups and downs. They failed to reach the tri-series final in the UAE, exited the Asia Cup early, but bounced back with a 3–0 series win over Zimbabwe and a victory against Qatar in Doha.

“We faced challenges with new players in the team, which affected results in the tri-series and Asia Cup. But that was intentional — the focus was always on the World Cup and building the next-generation squad,” Naib explained.

He added, “The management brought in many new faces — Darwish Rasooli, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad, and Sediq Atal, who played at number three. The idea was to prepare the team for the World Cup rather than short-term tournaments.”

Afghanistan will open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in Group D against New Zealand on Sunday, February 8, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They share the group with South Africa, UAE, and Canada.

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