Rashid Khan Removed as Afghanistan T20I Captain, Ibrahim Zadran to Lead vs Sri Lanka

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed Ibrahim Zadran as the new captain of Afghanistan's T20I team and replaced the star player Rashid Khan ahead of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. This captaincy change came after Afghanistan’s poor performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as they got eliminated in the group stage itself.

Rashid Khan has been leading Afghanistan's T20I team for quite a long time and played a crucial role in the team’s success in the format. Under Rashid's leadership, Afghanistan qualified for the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup and defeated strong teams like Australia. But the Afghanistan Cricket Board are looking for a younger captain who can lead the team for quite a long time.

Ibrahim Zadran has already served as vice-captain of Afghanistan's T20I side, and now, he will take over the captaincy role for the first time. Zadran has been part of the T20I squad for quite a long time, and he has played some of the crucial knocks for the team.

However, Rashid Khan will continue to play a key role in the team as he is one of Afghanistan's most experienced players and match winner with the ball. It will be quite interesting to see how Ibrahim Zadran is going to lead the side as teams are adopting new strategies to match aggressive brands of cricket in shorter formats.

Farooqi & Naib dropped for the Sri Lanka Series.

​Along with the captaincy change, Afghanistan selectors have made many changes to both the T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming tour against Sri Lanka. The fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi, all-rounder Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Ishaq have been dropped from both squads despite being part of the T20 World Cup campaign.

​Meanwhile, some of the young and new faces got a chance for the T20Is. Noor Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Fareed Ahmad Malik have been included in the squad. These young talents are going to play a crucial role in the team’s new combinations and will strengthen the bench strength for the team.

Afghanistan’s T20I Squad for Sri Lanka Tour 2026

Ibrahim Zadran (Captain), Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai

Reserves: Nangyal Kharoti, Bilal Sami and Ijaz Ahmadzai.

Afghanistan’s ODI Squad for Sri Lanka Tour 2026

Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Rashid Khan, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Bilal Sami.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Series 2026 Full Schedule

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