India's proposed limited overs tour of Bangladesh looks close to collapse after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed a three match T20I series against India in New Delhi from September 13 to 17, a window that eats directly into the dates Bangladesh had set aside for their own series.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had earmarked September 1 to 13 for six white ball fixtures against India, but with India now committed to Afghanistan across the back end of that period, the likelihood of the Bangladesh leg going ahead has diminished sharply, according to Cricbuzz.

In a letter sent to commercial partners on August 10, 2026, ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan confirmed both the dates and venue for the historic series, with all three matches to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Khan wrote that the schedule had been finalised and mutually agreed with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and that the fixtures would mark the first time Afghanistan have hosted India in a bilateral series on home soil.

With less than three weeks remaining before Bangladesh's proposed window was due to begin, cricket observers now regard the tour as unlikely to proceed barring a late intervention at government level.

Cricbuzz reported that it had reached out to the BCCI for comment on the overlapping schedules, though no response addressing the Bangladesh series had been issued at the time of publication.

The ACB's letter also confirmed that while no public announcement had yet been made, the board was issuing formal confirmation so that media rights holders could proceed with planning, production and promotional arrangements.

According to Cricbuzz, ITW Universe, which holds the media rights to the series, is currently in discussions with JioStar, Sony Sports and Zee Unite8 over the broadcast rights, with a decision expected within 24 hours, while FanCode holds the digital rights.

Despite the scheduling squeeze, diplomatic efforts to salvage the Bangladesh series appear to be gathering pace. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are understood to have discussed the matter directly, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Khalilur Rahman briefing Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque on the talks between the two countries. The Indian High Commissioner has also met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in recent days.

Speaking on Monday as chief guest at a football tournament organised by sports journalists in Kalshi, Aminul said the signs from those conversations had been encouraging.

"The Indian High Commissioner has met the Prime Minister. Discussions have also taken place with the foreign minister and the state minister, and they are very optimistic. The uncertainty that has existed since the last World Cup can be resolved very quickly. We remain hopeful that the Bangladesh-India series can be settled through the discussions that have taken place between the two foreign ministries," he said.

He added that he expected clarity soon. "We want to resolve the issue quickly. I hope that through sport we can maintain friendly relations with our neighbouring country. We want the uncertainty that has arisen to be handled smoothly. Today (Monday) I spoke with the foreign minister. He is extremely optimistic. He has already discussed the matter with the Indian external affairs minister. He spoke very positively and said that we would quickly find a way to ensure that India and Bangladesh can play and maintain friendly relations through cricket."

For Bangladesh, the coming days are likely to prove decisive. Whether the diplomatic optimism translates into a workable itinerary remains to be seen, but with India's calendar now largely consumed by Afghanistan through mid September, the margin for salvaging the originally proposed series continues to narrow.