Robin Uthappa will be back in action in Indian colours against Pakistan.

The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes event began all the way back in 1992, almost as a precursor to short-form T20 cricket. An ICC-sanctioned event, the format sees two teams of just six players each face off in a six-over match, where run-scoring is high and plenty of fireworks are on offer. There are limitations on bowling, where every player bar the wicketkeeper must bowl one over each, with one player allowed to bowl two overs, meaning resources have to be handled carefully.

Historically played at the Kowloon Cricket Club Ground, the 2024 edition sees the return of the tournament, and will be hosted at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok from November 1 to November 3. There are a total of 12 teams, divided into four pools of three each, where a round-robin format condensed to be played entirely on the first day will lead into the knockouts in the remainder of the tournament.

India and Pakistan were drawn into the same group, with UAE as the third member of this pool. The heavyweight clash will see plenty of former international players don the colours of their respective jerseys once again. India are led by Robin Uthappa, who was part of the squad which beat Pakistan to lift the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, and will be looking to repeat that impact as he leads this unit.

Alongside him, some IPL greats and former Indian internationals will also be turning up for the Indian team. Manoj Tiwari will be back in cricket action with his powerful shotmaking, joined by names such as all-rounders Stuart Binny and Kedar Jadhav, Shreevats Goswami,, Bharat Chipli, as well as Shahbaz Nadeem. All these players have plenty of experience on the domestic circuit in limited overs cricket, and will be bringing it to play in Hong Kong as they look to deliver India just their second title in this tournament.

Pakistan, meanwhile, are five-time champions of the event, tied for the most victories in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes. This year, they bring plenty of firepower of their own, headlined by captain Faheem Ashraf. Ashraf will be leading a team which will have access to Shadab Khan and Asif Ali, as well as Muhammad Akhlaq, Danish Aziz, Hussain Talat, and Aamer Yamin, as they look to win a record sixth tournament in Hong Kong.

Pakistan have already put a win on the board with a 13-run victory over the UAE after putting up 128 runs on the board — indicative of how many runs are on offer in this tournament, where matches are rapid-fire and last less than an hour each as plenty of games are packed into a tight schedule.

A second Pakistan win could put India in trouble ahead of the knockout stages, as only the top two teams from each group qualify into the quarter finals, with the last-placed team entering the unique ‘Bowl League’ sub-competition for a chance of consolation.