Fayez Hoda, Pune
The Indian cricket team will take part in the highly awaited Hong Kong Cricket Sixes competition, which is set to take place from November 1 to November 3, according to a Monday announcement from Cricket Hong Kong. This addition of India promises to raise the excitement and competitive spirit of the competition, attracting fans and observers from around the world.
Cricket Hong Kong hosts the yearly Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, or HK6, which is a six-a-side cricket competition. This year’s competition will have 12 teams, with Pakistan—India’s bitter rival—serving as one of the main draws. These two countries are joined in the three-day competition by elite teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.
This year’s competition is the first in seven years since the tournament’s 1992 inception, which ended after the 2017 edition. The biggest names in cricket have played in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes over the years, including legends like Shane Warne, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Sanath Jayasuriya, Anil Kumble, Umar Akmal, Glenn Maxwell, and Damien Martyn. Teams like South Africa, England, and Pakistan have dominated the event again and time again in the past, making them some of the most accomplished in history.
With its 2005 victory, India has also left its stamp on the competition. Other previous champions include the West Indies, Australia, and Sri Lanka, all of which have proven to be incredibly talented and skilled in this unique kind of cricket.
The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes rules provide for an exciting match. Matches are played between two teams of six players, with each team bowling a maximum of five overs. But in the championship match, each over will have eight balls rather than the usual six. In addition, every fielder—aside from the wicketkeeper—must bowl one over; two runs are scored on wides and no-balls.
A team’s last batter will continue to bat, with the fifth batter serving as a runner, if they lose five wickets before their allotted five overs are over. The innings ends when this last batsman is removed from the field; he must remain on strike. batters must retire when they score 31 runs, however, they can come back when other batters are out or have retired.