India team for Hong Kong Sixes 2026: Krunal Pandya to lead the seven-member squad

Krunal Pandya will lead the Indian team for the 2026 Hong Kong Sixes tournament.

The tournament will take place from October 30 to November 1, with India returning to the tournament following a poor performance in the last installment.

Pandya will lead India after Bhuvneshwar Kumar was called up for the T20I series in New Zealand, and Kulwant Khejroliya has taken his place in the seven-man squad.

India are in Group C with Pakistan and the UAE, and they open their campaign against their arch-rivals on Friday, October 30, before facing the UAE the next morning.

India's seven-member squad for the tournament is:

Everyone except Shashank Singh from this team has played at the international level for India, but Rahul Tewatia hasn't played for the senior side despite receiving a national call-up in the past.

The Hong Kong Sixes is an event that features six-a-side matches which are supposed to be quick, fast and highly scoring games.

This event comprises only six players per team. The Hong Kong Sixes was staged in 1992 for the first time. It was last held in 2024 after some absence from the schedule.

India return to Hong Kong Sixes after 2025 exit

India will aim to better their performance from the 2025 event, where they started off strong with a two-run DLS win against Pakistan before going down to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the 2026 event, having beaten Kuwait in last year's final to clinch their sixth Hong Kong Sixes crown.

This edition will see the participation of eight leading nations along with four Associate Members, all of which will take part in the event at Mission Road Ground or Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Mong Kok (MK), Hong Kong.

India have been drawn in Pool C alongside defending champions Pakistan and the UAE.

The top-ranked side from all the four pools will qualify for the Cup semi-final, with the second- and third-placed sides going into the Plate and Bowl competitions, respectively.

Should India top the pool of Pool C, their Cup finals semi-final against Group A winners will take place on October 31, at 12:40 p.m. IST. The final of the Cup will be on November 1, at 12:40 p.m. IST.

The second and third-placed teams from the group stage will play in the Plate finals and Bowl finals, respectively.