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A power-packed Indian lineup will take the field at Hong Kong Sixes 2026 tournament. This time around India are not fielding a side featuring a few retired players. India have named a squad featuring Indian Premier League (IPL) regulars including two from Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) two consecutive title-winning sides. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the squad with Krunal Pandya by his side.
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The squad will feature Punjab Kings' (PBKS) batting all-rounder Shashank Singh, Gujarat Titans' (GT) established finisher Rahul Tewatia, Delhi Capitals' (DC) top order batter Nitish Rana and left-arm pacer T Natarajan along with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rahul Tripathi.
India's squad for Hong Kong Sixes 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi and T Natarajan.
"We are very grateful to the Indian cricket authorities for their support in helping us put together arguably one of the strongest sides that has represented India in the history of the Sixes. This will surely prove to be a quantum leap forward in terms of viewership and further validation for this iconic tournament,” said Anuraag Bhatnagar, Director of Marketing and Commercial, Cricket Hong Kong, China.
Hong Kong Sixes schedule and India’s group matches
The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 30 to November 1. It is a six-a-side format. India are placed in Group C alongside Pakistan and UAE. Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament.
How India have performed in Hong Kong Sixes
India were not part of the Hong Kong Sixes 2017. South Africa won the first edition with a two-wicket win over Pakistan in final ball thriller.
In 2024, a Robin Uthappa-led side participated in the tournament. He had Bharat Chipli, Shreevats Goswami, Manoj Tiwary, Stuart Binny, Kedar Jadhav and Shahbaz Nadeem in the squad. India lost all four of their group stage matches and were knocked out of the tournament. Sri Lanka went on to win the title with a three-wicket win over Pakistan in a last-ball thriller.
In 2025 edition, Dinesh Karthik led the side which featured Uthappa, Chipli, Binny, Nadeem and Abhimanyu Mithun. India began their campaign with a two-run win via DRS method. However, India ended up losing to Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Nepal as they were knocked out of the tournaments without making it to the semifinals once again. Pakistan beat Kuwait in the final by 43 runs to win the title.
When was the last time India’s Hong Kong Sixes squad players played international cricket?
36-year-old Bhuvneshwar's last international cricket appearance was in November 22 in a T20I match against New Zealand. He hasn’t made a comeback despite stellar performances in two consecutive IPLs for RCB.
34-year-old Shashank, 33-year-old Tewatia are yet to make their debuts for India.
35-year-old Krunal has not played for India in limited-overs formats since July 2021. He is hopeful of a comeback after impressive performances in IPL. Similarly, Rana hasn't played for India since July 2021 as well.
Injuries have played a huge role in keeping Natarajan out of action. The pacer hasn't donned the India jersey since March 2021.
35-year-old Tripathi's previous appearance in India jersey was in 2023. He played five T20Is and was dropped from the squad.
India’s Hong Kong Sixes squad’s IPL numbers
Bhuvneshwar bagged 28 wickets for RCB in IPL 2026, becoming their leading wicket-taker. So far, he has played 206 IPL games and bagged 226 wickets featuring two five-wicket hauls and three four-fers. He is in second place among leading wicket-takers in IPL history.
Krunal has played for three IPL franchises so far. In IPL 2026, he played 16 games and claimed 14 wickets including a four-fer. He batted in nine innings and scored 226 runs at an average of 37.66 and strike rate of 145.80 including a half-century. Overall, he has played 158 IPL games and scored 1,982 runs including three half-centuries. The left-arm spinner has 107 wickets including a four-wicket haul.
Shashank is relatively new to IPL cricket. He has played 53 games including 43 for PBKS. He has established himself as a finisher, scoring 905 runs at an average of 36.20 and strike rate of 161.60. He has six IPL fifties to his name. He can be handy with the ball too. He has five wickets at an average of 28.
Tewatia made a name for himself by smashing five sixes off Sheldon Cottrell in a run chase despite a sluggish start. While Tewatia is capable of delivering with leg spin, he has been used by Rajasthan Royals (RR) and now Gujarat Titans (GT) as a finisher. The southpaw has scored 1,302 runs from 92 IPL innings at an average of 23.67 and strike rate of 138.06 featuring two fifties. He hasn't bowled a single over in last three IPL seasons. The last time he took an IPL wicket was in RR jersey. The leggie has 32 wickets at an average nearly 35.
Before stints at DC and RR, Rana played seven seasons for KKR. He has played two seasons for Mumbai Indians (MI) as well. From 127 IPL games, he has 3,078 runs at an average of 27.72 and strike rate of 137.71. He is yet to score a century but has 22 fifties in his IPL career. He came close to a century this year but was dismissed for 91. The off-spinner has 10 IPL wickets at an average of 32.50.
Natarajan made a mark as SRH's death overs specialist. In IPL 2026, he played 10 games for DC and claimed five wickets. He leaked runs and was far away from his best. But, he had a few good seasons with SRH before. From 73 IPL games, he has 72 wickets at an average of nearly 33 including a four-wicket haul.
Tripathi had made a name for himself when he turned up for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in IPL 2017. Later, he played for RR, KKR, SRH and then Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He was a part of KKR squad in IPL 2026 but did not get a game. From 100 IPL games, he has 2,291 runs at an average of 26.33 and strike rate of 137.84 including 12 half-centuries.
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