Krunal Pandya will captain India in the upcoming Hong Kong Super Sixes, scheduled for October 30 to November 1. The 35-year-old southpaw has replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar as captain, with the latter now named in India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
The five-match T20I series will begin on October 22 and conclude on November 1. As the series coincides with the Hong Kong Super Sixes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will miss the six-a-side tournament.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India’s T20I setup after a gap of four years, following consistent performances for RCB in the 2025 and 2026 seasons, during which he helped the team win back-to-back IPL titles.
Kulwant Kherjoliya Replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Indian Team for Hong Kong Super Sixes
The 34-year-old left-arm seamer Kulwant Kherjoliya, who has represented multiple IPL teams, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans, has replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India’s squad for the 2026 Hong Kong Super Sixes.
In 9 IPL matches, Kherjoliya has taken 6 wickets.
During his domestic career with Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, Kherjoliya has taken 175 wickets across formats. He last played a competitive match in May this year, in IPL Qualifier 1 against RCB.
India’s Squad for Hong Kong Super Sixes 2026
Krunal Pandya (c), Shashank Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tewatia, T. Natarajan and Kulwant Kherjoliya.
About the Hong Kong Super Sixes
The Hong Kong Super Sixes is a fast-paced cricket tournament featuring small boundaries on either side of the ground. Each team fields six players, and each innings consists of six overs.
Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Mong Kok will host the tournament. The upcoming edition will be the 22nd season of the competition.
Pakistan are the defending champions, having beaten Kuwait by 43 runs in last year’s final.
Indian fans can watch the tournament live on Sony Sports Network.
