India’s Honor of Kings squad gets special invite to ENC 2026

Riyadh: India is going to war in Riyadh, and this time the weapon of choice is a smartphone. NODWIN Gaming, India’s national team partner for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, has unveiled the country’s Honor of Kings roster, and handed the squad a golden ticket straight into the main event.

The five-man outfit, backed by two substitutes, needs no qualifying run. India has scooped a special invite to the Honor of Kings leg of ENC 2026, running from 24 to 29 November in the Saudi capital, where 24 national teams will scrap for a prize pool north of $1.32 million (Rs 12.5 crore).

Leading the charge is Ainul Haidery, known to fans as Senpai, the in-game leader and one of India’s sharpest junglers. He lines up alongside Aashish Chouhan (Deadshot), a clash-lane specialist, after the pair swept the Bengaluru leg of the Kings Arise India City Tour. Both are also booked for the Honor of Kings World Cup in Paris this year.

Joining them: Rahul Lavhate (Kyurem) and Saurabh Jagadale (Kael), the S8UL Esports duo who stormed to victory in Mumbai, plus GodLike Esports’ Bezalel Hmar (Eto), tipped as one of the country’s brightest emerging talents. Aryan Gulati (TT) and Saad Sardar (Darkness) round out the squad as substitutes, with Gradyano Valendy, known as Rinnqt, in the coach’s chair.

“Representing India at the Esports Nations Cup is both an honour and a responsibility,” said Haidery. “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.”

Riyadh is fast turning into India’s biggest gaming stage yet. The country has now booked its spot in five ENC 2026 titles, Battlegrounds Mobile India, chess, Honor of Kings, Trackmania and Valorant, with grandmaster Nihal Sarin and challenger Mitrabha Guha flying the flag in chess, Kunal Upreti (Spark) wheeling through on Trackmania, and the Valorant side muscling past Asia’s regional qualifiers.

Not every campaign has gone to plan: Dota 2 bowed out to Pakistan in a lower-bracket final, and the PUBG: Battlegrounds side fell one place short in the Asia Pacific qualifiers. But the mood in the camp is unmistakably upbeat, with the Mobile Legends: 5v5 squad still chasing a direct invite of its own, and a regional qualifier waiting in the wings on 15-16 August if needed.

Five titles booked, a special invite in hand, and a home-grown roster stacked with champions: India’s esports army is marching on Riyadh, and it means business.