Krunal Pandya to lead India at Hong Kong Sixes as Bhuvneshwar gets national call-up

Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Agency Image)

India will have a new captain at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026, with Krunal Pandya appointed to lead the seven-member squad after Bhuvneshwar Kumar was called up to the national team for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.Gujarat Titans pacer Kulwant Khejroliya has been drafted into the squad as Bhuvneshwar's replacement for the tournament, scheduled to take place from October 30 to November 1.

Krunal will captain a side featuring Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, T Natarajan and Khejroliya. The squad brings together players with IPL experience, offering a mix of batting strength and all-round abilities for the six-a-side competition.Bhuvneshwar's absence comes after his return to India's T20I set-up following a gap of nearly four years. The experienced pacer was named in the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with Shreyas Iyer set to lead the side.

He was also called up as cover for the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies on Saturday after Arshdeep Singh sustained a blow during the fourth match in Hyderabad.Reacting to the change, Anuraag Bhatnagar, Director of Commercial and Marketing at Cricket Hong Kong, China, said the tournament organisers would miss having Bhuvneshwar but welcomed his return to international cricket.

“While we will certainly miss Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026, we are delighted to see him earn a call-up to the national team. His return to international cricket after four years is a special milestone, and we wish him every success on India’s tour of New Zealand. We look forward to welcoming him back to the Hong Kong Sixes in the future,” Bhatnagar said.India squad for Hong Kong Sixes 2026: Krunal Pandya (captain), Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, T Natarajan and Kulwant Khejroliya.