NODWIN gaming unveils India’s star-studded VALORANT team for Esports Nations Cup 2026

NODWIN Gaming, India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, has officially announced the country’s VALORANT roster for the global nation-based esports competition set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026.

The Indian contingent will be led by in-game leader (IGL) Sagnik Roy (Hellf) and feature Abhirup Choudhury (Lightningfast), Aman Yadav (Hoax), Venkatesh Sharma (Venky), Norbu Tsering (Karam1L), Shravana Sahoo (Techno), and Daivik Chauhan (Dc), with Afaque Shaikh (Envy2K), Jayesh Negi (kibojn), and Rishi Vijayakumar (RvK) serving as substitutes. Abhishek Bajaj (GodspeedxD) will serve as the team’s coach.

The roster brings together some of the most accomplished and experienced players in Indian VALORANT. The roster is anchored by Hellf, one of India’s most experienced VALORANT competitors. A former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, he has enjoyed success across multiple eras of Indian esports, with notable titles including VCC 2022 Stage 1, TEC Challenger Series 7, Skyesports Championship 3.0, and multiple editions of The Esports Club Gauntlet.

Joining him is Lightningfast, widely regarded as one of India’s most complete VALORANT players. He won VALORANT Challengers South Asia (VCSA) 2025 with Velocity Gaming and helped the team secure a top-six finish at VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Ascension Pacific 2025. Earlier in his career, he also secured a top-three finish at Convergence 2023 with Global Esports while winning several major domestic championships, including the VALORANT Conquerors Championship (VCC) and Skyesports Champions Series.

The roster also features Hoax, one of India’s leading flex players and a proven secondary caller, alongside Venky, who is widely regarded as one of the country’s most talented duelists. Completing the starting lineup are Karam1L and Dc. A former CS:GO competitor, Karam1L previously won TEC: The Arena Championship 2023 and Intel Gamers Day: ROG LAN Fest Mumbai with Reckoning Esports, while Dc adds further experience and versatility after several strong performances across India’s top VALORANT competitions.

The quartet of Hellf, Hoax, Venky, and Techno form a core that has enjoyed considerable success together across multiple organizations. The players were part of S8UL Esports’ title-winning run at Predator League India 2026, while Hellf, Hoax, and Dc had previously lifted the Predator League India 2025 trophy with Orangutan. Their shared experience competing at the highest level provides the squad with valuable chemistry and familiarity heading into ENC 2026.

Providing additional depth are substitutes Envy2K, kibojn, and RvK. Envy2K offers a proven duelist option, kibojn brings flexibility across multiple roles, while RvK adds leadership and in-game calling experience as a reserve IGL.

“A national team is different from a club team because you have to bring together the best players from different environments and get them moving in the same direction. Fortunately, many of us have competed together before, which gives us a strong foundation. The goal now is to make the most of that familiarity, sharpen our teamwork, and put ourselves in the best position to qualify for Riyadh,” said Sagnik Roy aka Hellf, captain of India’s VALORANT team for ENC 2026.

VALORANT at ENC 2026 will take place from November 8 to 15, featuring 32 national teams competing for a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (~INR 14 crore).

The Esports Foundation will allocate 16 direct invitations through the official ENC Rankings system, which aggregates points earned by players based on their participation in regional and international VCT competitions through June 21, 2026. A further 14 teams will qualify through regional online qualifiers, while the final two places will be awarded through wildcard slots. India’s qualification campaign will begin in the Asia regional qualifiers scheduled from June 26 to 28, from which two teams will advance to the ENC 2026 main event.

Elsewhere, India’s League of Legends team featuring Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Akshaj Shenoy (Kat Bot), Rahul Bisht (Bob), Vinayak Gupta (Panda), and Niranjan Prabakaran (Sam), narrowly missed out on qualification for ENC 2026 after being eliminated by Japan in the semifinals of the regional qualifiers.

Meanwhile, India’s preparations for ENC 2026 continue across multiple titles. NODWIN Gaming has already announced the following national team rosters:

– DOTA 2: Krish Gupta (Krish), Vishal Vernekar (HBK), Dhvanit Singh Negi (Negi), Manav Kunte (MnZ), and Yash Thakur (xand3r_^). Moin Ejaz (NO_Chanc3) will serve as coach.

The roster will compete in the regional qualifiers from June 29 to July 1, where two teams will secure qualification.

– Chess: Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Mitrabha Guha have qualified to represent India at the ENC 2026 main event.

– MOBA Legends: 5v5!: Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle), Susanta Biswas (Kimyy), Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna), Rithik Sohal (Romcom), Evancius A. Sangma (Vann), Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta (J). Steve Vitug (Dale) will serve as coach.

India is currently ranked 11th in the MOBA Legends: 5v5! ENC rankings and remains in contention for a direct invitation. Should it miss out, the team will compete in the regional qualifiers scheduled for August 15 to 16.

– Rocket League: Abhai Ponna (Abscrazy), Karthik Raghunandan (Karvin), Aditeya Srivastav (Riyal), and substitute player Jayanth Engineer (Orjanguse). Nirjhar Mitra (jocse) will serve as coach.

The team will compete in the regional qualifiers from July 17 to 19, where three teams from Asia will secure qualification for the ENC 2026 Finals.