Bhuvneshwar Appointed As India Captain; Two RCB Players To Feature In Hong Kong Sixes Squad
Hyderabad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar might not be making his India return soon but the right-arm pacer will be in action in the times ahead. The 36-year-old will captain a strong seven-member Indian squad at the Hong Kong sixes competition which will run from October 30 to November 1.
The squad will boast a strong Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as Bhuvneshwar’s teammate from RCB, Krunal Pandy is also part of the squad.Nitish Rana, Shashank Singh, T Natarajan, Rahul Tripathi and Rahul Tewatia are also in the squad.
Except for Shashank Singh, all other members in the squad have represented the Indian senior team. However, Bhuvneshwar will draw a lot of attention considering there have been talks around his return to the Indian international squad after a stellar performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Bhuvneshwar’s recent form
The right-arm pacer was brilliant for RCB in their IPL-winning campaign this year taking 28 wickets in 16 matches. In a tournament where batters were scoring in an explosive manner, the India bowler registered an economy of 7.95.
He also continued his form in the UP T20 League in August and September picking 14 wickets from 11 matches. His performance triggered the discussion around his potential comeback in the Indian team.
India squad for Hong Kong sixes
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (captain), Krunal Pandya, Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, T. Natarajan.
Only one win in 2025 edition
The Indian team managed to win only one match last year. They secured a a two-run DLS win over Pakistan in the opening match but suffered defeats against Kuwait and UAE by 27 runs and four wickets respectively. Pakistan will enter the competition as defending champions after clinching the silverware in 2025 beating Kuwait in the final.
Bhuvneshwar will take over the captaincy from Dinesh Karthik, who led the team last year. The team featured other India internationals like Robin Uthappa and Stuart Binny.
What is the Hong Kong sixes tournament?
Hong Kong Sixes is a six-a-side international cricket tournament that is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is organized by Cricket Hong Kong. The first edition of the tournament was played way back in 1992. After being not played for a few year, the tournament returned in 2024.
Each game will consist of a maximum of five six-ball overs per side with each member of the fielding side bowling one over, except for the wicket-keeper. Batters must mandatory-retire upon reaching 50 runs. Teams get two points for winning a match.
