The matches are now scheduled for September 13, 15, and 17 in Delhi, although they may have to be rescheduled if the series against Bangladesh, which is otherwise perennially in doubt, proceeds.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has reaffirmed to its stakeholders that the three-match T20I ‘home’ series against India will go ahead as planned, albeit the schedule is still subject to change.
According to sources, there is renewed hope that the six-match white-ball series in Bangladesh will take place, given recent geopolitical developments.
On Friday, word broke that the Indian government has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to the 18th BRICS Summit (to be held in September), which has sparked confidence in the relevant sectors.
If that series is successful, it may have an impact on the three Delhi matches, which are scheduled to take place from September 1 to 13. In that context, the Afghanistan series’ dates may need to be pushed back a few days, if not longer.
However, the BCB has failed to disclose the EoI documents for the media rights, which, as reported by Cricbuzz on July 14, were placed on hold by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Given the Asian Games (beginning September 24) and the home series against the West Indies, which begins September 27, there is little possibility for a prolonged deferral.
The series could be postponed for a few days if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides to send the Indian squad to Bangladesh at all. Of course, the BCCI will be led by the government’s advise.
Aside from the scheduling difficulty, the series has another angle. For the first time in recent years, international matches in India will not be televised on JioStar, India’s official broadcaster of home international matches. The Afghanistan Board will host the games, which will be broadcast on various channels or platforms.
Fancode owns the digital rights to the series. Zed and Sony Sports are prospective television rights holders, unless JioStar enters the race for linear property and telecasts the games on Star Sports.
The linear rights are still available, and they are held by ITW Universe, a renowned sports and entertainment consultancy organization. The firm is working with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on marketing and other logistical issues for the three Delhi matches.
“Our understanding is that the ACB and the BCCI have reached a deal for the matches, which will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
“We will handle the media and marketing rights, while the ACB will handle the match-day logistics and operations,” Bhairav Shanth, co-founder of ITW Universe, told Cricbuzz, adding that his company will begin discussions with the stations for the TV rights.
Shanth, of course, considers the series historical. “For the first time Afghanistan will be hosting India,” he stated. Because Afghanistan is a no-go zone for international cricket, the UAE (Sharjah) was once considered a possible location.
However, the two boards eventually decided to produce the series in India, with the unusual arrangement of the ‘guests’ as the ‘hosts’ and the ‘hosts’ as the ‘guests’.
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