NODWIN Gaming has announced India’s Honor of Kings team for the Esports Nations Cup 2026, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29.

Along with the team announcement, India has also received a Special Invite, which means the country will directly compete in the Honor of Kings main event without playing the qualification rounds.

According to a NODWIN Gaming press release,the Honor of Kings tournament at ENC 2026 will be held from November 24 to 29. It will feature 24 national teams competing for a prize pool of USD 1.32 million (around Rs.12.5 crore). A total of 64 countries and territories have submitted their national teams for the competition.

India’s playing five includes Rahul Lavhate (Kyurem), Aashish Chouhan (Deadshot), Ainul Haidery (Senpai), Saurabh Jagadale (Kael), and Bezalel Hmar (Eto). Aryan Gulati (TT) and Saad Sardar (Darkness) have been named as substitute players. The team will be coached by Gradyano Valendy (Rinnqt).

The Indian squad brings together some of the country’s best Honor of Kings players. Senpai from Revenant Xspark will lead the team as the in-game leader (IGL). He is regarded as one of India’s top Junglers, while his teammate Deadshot is one of the country’s leading Clash Lane players.

The duo recently won the Bengaluru leg of the Kings Arise India City Tour and will also represent India at the Honor of Kings World Cup (KWC) 2026.The team also includes Kyurem and Kael from S8UL Esports, who will represent India at the Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 after winning the Mumbai leg of the Kings Arise India City Tour. Eto from GodLike Esports completes the starting lineup and is considered one of India’s rising Honor of Kings players.

TT and Darkness have been included as substitutes to provide extra strength and flexibility to the squad.Speaking about the team’s selection, Ainul Haidery (Senpai) said the Honor of Kings esports scene has grown rapidly in India over the past few years.

He said representing the country at the Esports Nations Cup is a proud moment and a big responsibility. According to him, the team wants to deliver strong performances, establish India as a serious competitor on the global Honor of Kings stage, and encourage more Indian players to take up the game professionally.

With the Honor of Kings team now confirmed, India has secured participation in five esports titles at ENC 2026—Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, Honor of Kings, Trackmania, and VALORANT. India received a Special Invite in both Honor of Kings and BGMI.

In Chess, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin qualified through the official ENC rankings, while Mitrabha Guha earned his place through the regional qualifiers. India’s VALORANT team qualified through the Asia regional qualifiers, and Trackmania player Kunal Upreti (Spark) also secured his place by qualifying from the Asia regional event.

India, however, could not qualify in DOTA 2 after losing to Pakistan in the Lower Bracket Final of the South & East Asia Qualifier. The country’s PUBG: Battlegrounds team also missed out after finishing sixth in the Asia Pacific regional qualifier.

India is still in contention in MOBA Legends: 5v5 . The team could receive a direct invitation to the main event, and if that does not happen, it will compete in the regional qualifiers scheduled for August 15 and 16.