The games are now scheduled on September 13, 15, and 17 in Delhi; however, if the series against Bangladesh, which is otherwise always uncertain, proceeds, the dates would need to be rescheduled. Although the schedule is still somewhat tentative, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has assured its stakeholders that the three-match T20I “home” series versus India is definitely on.
Given the most recent changes in geopolitics, insiders say there is renewed hope that the six-match white-ball series in Bangladesh could happen. There is hope in the relevant quarters following the announcement on Friday that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited by the Indian government to the 18th BRICS Summit, which is scheduled for September.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hopes to hold the three Delhi matches from September 1–13, thus if that series comes to be, there might be a knock-on impact. Given that, it could be necessary to postpone the Afghanistan series’ dates by a few days, if not longer.
However, as Cricbuzz reported on July 14, the Bangladesh Cricket Board placed the EoI documents for the media rights on hold, and the BCB has yet to release them.
Given the Asian Games (beginning on September 24) and the home series against the West Indies (beginning on September 27), there is very little opportunity for a protracted postponement. If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chooses to send the Indian squad to Bangladesh at all, the series might be delayed by a few days. Naturally, the government guidance will serve as the BCCI’s guide.
Aside from the schedule problem, the series has another facet. JioStar, the official broadcaster of India’s domestic international games, will not broadcast international matches in India for the first time in recent memory. The games will be broadcast on several platforms and channels, with the Afghanistan Board serving as the host.
The series’ digital rights are owned by Fancode. Unless JioStar enters the competition for linear property to broadcast the games on Star Sports, Zed and Sony Sports are the possible competitors for the television rights.
One of the top sports and entertainment consulting organisations, ITW Universe, has the linear rights, which are still up for grabs. For the marketing and other logistical parts of the three Delhi matches, the company is working with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
According to what we hear, the ACB and the BCCI have reached an agreement about the games, which will take place in New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Co-founder of ITW Universe Bhairav Shanth informed Cricbuzz that his business will start negotiations with the stations for the TV rights. “We will handle the media and marketing rights, while the ACB will handle the match-day logistics and operations.”
Naturally, Shanth views the series as historic. “Afghanistan will host India for the first time,” he declared. The UAE (Sharjah) was first thought of as a possible location because Afghanistan is a no-go area for international cricket. In the end, though, the two boards agreed to present the series in India, where the “guests” would be the “hosts” and the “hosts” would be the “guests.”
