AFG vs ZIM Dream11 prediction & fantasy tips: 1st T20I 2026

Afghanistan take on Zimbabwe in a T20I at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, with the start at 8:00 PM IST. This is the opening match of the Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe in UAE, 2026 series, which runs from 27 October to 13 November. The squads below are the announced squads, not confirmed XIs, so check the lineups after the toss before locking in your free-to-play team.

Pitch and conditions

Our own records show 23 completed T20Is at this venue since 2022. The average first-innings score is 154. Teams batting first have won 11 of those matches and chasing sides have won 12.

That is an even split between batting-first and chasing wins at Sharjah, so there is no strong case to favour only batters or only bowlers. A balanced fantasy team looks sensible.

Squads

Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Farid Ahmad Malik.

Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (Captain), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Kundai Matigimu, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa and Wellington.

According to the ICC, Mohammad Nabi and Darwish Rasooli have been left out of Afghanistan's T20I squad, while uncapped all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil and Mohammad Akram are included. Ijaz Ahmadzai and Shahidullah Kamal have been recalled. The ICC also says Brad Evans will play only the first two T20Is for Zimbabwe, with Kundai Matigimu replacing him for the third.

Form and head-to-head

Afghanistan's last three T20Is were all defeats to India in September: by 7 wickets, 7 wickets and 127 runs. Their most recent completed match was a drawn Test against Bangladesh on 9 October. Zimbabwe lost their last three ODIs to Australia in September, and before that lost two T20Is to India in July by 90 runs and 35 runs.

Afghanistan have the stronger record in this fixture. In our records they won four of the last five T20Is against Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe's only win came on 11 December 2024, by 4 wickets. According to ESPNcricinfo, Afghanistan had 17 wins in 19 T20Is against Zimbabwe going into the Harare T20I of 29 October 2025.

Captain and vice-captain picks

We have no published captain or vice-captain picks for this match, so we are not naming any here. Afghanistan's historical edge in this fixture suggests looking at the core of the stronger side, but wait for the confirmed XIs before deciding.