India is all set to play in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament from November 1 to November 3. Former Indian international Robin Uthappa is named the captain of the side.
In the six-a-side competition along with Uthappa India has named Manoj Tiwary, Shabaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Stuart Binny, Kedhar Jadhav, and Bharat Chipli in the side.
This year’s edition hosts 12 teams including India’s arch-rivals Pakistan. The other teams set to compete in the 3-day tournament are Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.
The tournament started in 1992 and went on a hiatus after the 2017 edition which makes the 2024 edition the first one in 7 years.
🚨SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
Here’s India’s Squad for the upcoming Hong Kong Sixes!
Look forward to an exciting tournament where The Men in Blue will showcase their amazing skills and lively energy!
Expect More Teams, More Sixes, More Excitement, and MAXIMUM THRILLS! 🔥🔥
HK6 is… pic.twitter.com/fdz3klixvC
— Cricket Hong Kong, China (@CricketHK) October 12, 2024
Players such as Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Sanath Jayasuriya, Anil Kumble, Umar Akmal, Glenn Maxwell and Damien Martyn have plied their trade in this tournament with Pakistan, England and South Africa being the most successful teams.
India have also won the entire thing in 2005 while Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies are some of the other winners.
What makes the tournament interesting is that there are a bunch of new rules which makes for an interesting match, mostly predicated on power hitting.
Here are the rules:
* The matches are played between two teams of six players with each game consisting of a maximum of five overs for each side. The final match, however, will have each team bowl 5 overs which will consist of 8 balls, up from the 6 in normal matches.
* Except the wicket-keeper, every member of the fielding side will have to bowl one over while wides and no-balls count as two runs.
* If 5 wickets fall before the stipulated 5 overs have ended, the last batter will bat with the fifth batter acting as a runner. The batter who is not out will have to be on strike at all times and the innings will conclude once he falls.
* If five wickets fall before 5 overs are completed, the last remaining batsman bats on with the fifth batsman acting as a runner. He always takes strike. The innings is complete when the sixth wicket falls.
* Batsmen are forced to retire at 31, but can come back in once all other batsmen have been dismissed or have retired
