NODWIN Gaming announces their Honor of Kings team for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026. The Honor of Kings team represent India for the first time. This is the first Nations Cup event ever in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026. Along with the team announcement, India has also received a special invite to play in the Honor of Kings main event.
About the Tournament
The Honor of Kings competition at ENC 2026 will run from November 24 to 29. It will feature 24 national teams competing for a total prize of $1.32 million (around ₹12.5 crore). In total, 64 countries and territories have officially confirmed their teams for the tournament.
Besides India’s Special Invite, 12 teams got direct invitations based on player rankings earned through official Honor of Kings competitions up to July 5, 2026. Nine more spots were decided through online qualifiers held on July 18 and 19. The last two spots will go to wildcard entries, one for the host region and one as a “solidarity” pick.
Meet Team India
India’s squad includes:
- Rahul Lavhate (Kyurem)
- Aashish Chouhan (Deadshot)
- Ainul Haidery (Senpai)
- Saurabh Jagadale (Kael)
- Bezalel Hmar (Eto)
Subs: Aryan Gulati (TT), Saad Sardar (Darkness) In the past, NODWIN Gaming had appointed Gradyano Valendy (Rinnqt) as the coach for the team for India’s preparation.
You will find some of India’s Honor of Kings talent in this team. The roster is a combination of former champions and those who have put in strong showings at the country’s top tier of competition.
When it comes to gameplay, Revenant Xspark’s Senpai will be calling the shots as team leader. An accomplished Jungler in India, he will be working with his teammate Deadshot, who is well regarded on the Clash Lane side of things. The pair were part of the squad that took home a tournament in Bengaluru not long ago, an event under the banner of the Kings Arise India City Tour.
The main team also has Eto from GodLike Esports. He is a player and people think he is very good.
The two extra players, TT and Darkness make the team stronger and more flexible.
Speaking about the announcement, team captain Senpai shared that Honor of Kings esports in India has grown a lot in a short time, and that this team shows the talent coming from different gaming organizations across the country. He said representing India at the Esports Nations Cup is both an honor and a big responsibility, and that the team wants to make the community proud, prove India can compete at the highest level, and inspire more players to take up competitive gaming.
India’s Growing Presence at ENC 2026
With this announcement, India can put together teams for five titles at ENC 2026: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, Honor of Kings, Trackmania and VALORANT. In a move akin to what was done for Honor of Kings, BGMI has been given a special invitation for India as well.
Qualification has come by different means for the various squads. Grandmaster Nihal Sarin made it straight in on the back of his official ENC rating, whereas Mitrabha Guha came through the regional qualifiers for Chess. The VALORANT side has earned its place via the Asia regional round, as has Kunal Upreti (Spark) of Trackmania following a solid performance in the Asia qualifiers.
Not all went according to plan, however. India’s DOTA 2 contingent were knocked out in the Lower Bracket Final of the South & East Asia Qualifier by a narrow loss to Pakistan. The PUBG: Battlegrounds team also fell short of qualifying, putting in a sixth place showing in the Asia Pacific regional round.
As for the Mobile Legends: 5v5 team, there has been no direct invite from India thus far. Should one not be forthcoming, they will have an opportunity in the regional qualifiers to be held Aug. 15-16.
Also Read: 5 Young Indian Prodigies Most Likely to Become India’s Historic 100th Grandmaster
