India’s Honor of Kings squad for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 was announced on Tuesday, with Ainul ‘Senpai’ Haidery leading the team in the tournament scheduled in Riyadh later this year.

NODWIN Gaming, India’s National Team Partner for the Nations Cup, announced the full team, which will compete between November 2 and 29 in Saudi Arabia.

Led by Revenant Xspark’s Ainul ‘Senpai’ Haidery, one of India’s leading Junglers, the team also features one of the country’s finest Clash Lane players in Deadshot. The duo recently won the Bengaluru leg of the Kings Arise India City Tour. Gradyano Valendy (Rinnqt), who was previously appointed as the team’s head coach by NODWIN, will oversee India’s preparations for ENC 2026.

“The Honor of Kings esports scene in India has grown tremendously in a short span of time, and this roster reflects the depth of talent that has emerged across different organisations. Representing India at the Esports Nations Cup is both an honour and a responsibility, and every player understands what this opportunity means,” Senpai said.

“We want to deliver performances the community can be proud of, establish India as a strong competitor on the global Honor of Kings stage, and inspire more players to pursue the game competitively.”

The finals of Honor of Kings at ENC 2026 will take place from November 24 to 29, featuring 24 national teams competing for a prize pool of USD 1.32 million (~INR 12.5 crore).

A total of 64 countries and territories have officially submitted and confirmed their participation in the tournament.

Alongside India’s Special Invite, the Esports Foundation allocated 12 direct invitations through the ENC Ranking system, which aggregates points earned by players based on their performances in official Honor of Kings competitions until July 5, 2026.

The remaining nine qualification spots will be decided through regional online qualifiers, scheduled for July 18 to 19, while the final two places at the ENC Finals will be filled through wildcard invitations, comprising one Host Region slot and one Solidarity slot.

India has now secured representation in five titles at ENC 2026: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, Honor of Kings, Trackmania and VALORANT. Similar to Honor of Kings, the nation has also earned a special invite in BGMI.

The country’s MOBA Legends: 5v5! squad also remains in contention for a direct invitation to the main event and, if required, will compete in the regional qualifiers scheduled for August 15 to 16.

Published on Jul 21, 2026