Esports Nations Cup 2026: India Reveals DOTA 2 And MOBA Legends 5v5 Rosters

NODWIN Gaming has named India’s national squads for DOTA 2 and MOBA Legends: 5v5! for the Esports Nations Cup 2026. The nation-based event is scheduled in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026. The announcement also confirmed player lists, support staff, and key qualification dates.

The DOTA 2 team is built around recognised international experience. The MOBA Legends: 5v5! unit includes several recent Esports World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Both titles will use 32-team fields at the Esports Nations Cup 2026. Each tournament will offer USD 1.5 million in prize money, about INR 14.2 crore.

India’s DOTA 2 roster includes Krish Gupta (Krish), Dhvanit Singh Negi (Negi), Vishal Vernekar (HBK), Manav Kunte (MnZ), and Yash Thakur (xand3r_@). Khaja Hussain (Pinkman) and Harsh Shah (Archmage-) are substitutes. Moin Ejaz (NO_Chanc3) is the coach, handling strategy and roster planning.

Krish is described as India’s highest-ranked DOTA 2 player at present. Krish previously represented India at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Krish also played at the IESF Asian Championship 2023. The squad also includes Commonwealth Esports Championships 2022 bronze medallist HBK and veteran Negi.

MnZ previously represented India at the Global Esports Games. xand3r_@ is listed for decision-making and calm play. Pinkman adds experienced cover, while Archmage- provides depth. The group also carries past teamwork. Krish, MnZ, HBK, and Pinkman have played together across teams and events.

DOTA 2 at ENC 2026 runs from November 2 to 9. The ENC Rankings for submitted DOTA 2 rosters are set to be finalised on June 7. The top 16 teams will receive direct Finals invitations. Fourteen teams will qualify from online regional qualifiers from June 29 to July 2.

The final two DOTA 2 Finals places will be decided by wildcard invitations. India’s selection also highlighted leadership roles within the lineup. Krish is named as in-game leader. The team will now prepare for the international schedule and the qualification system’s confirmed deadlines.

"Representing India is always a special feeling, and the Esports Nations Cup gives us the opportunity to compete against some of the strongest teams in the world under the national flag. We have a roster with a good mix of experience and chemistry, and our focus will be on preparing well and delivering our best on the international stage," said Krish Gupta aka Krish, in-game leader (IGL) of the DOTA 2 team.

India’s MOBA Legends: 5v5! roster includes Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle), Susanta Biswas (Kimyy), Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna), Rithik Sohal (Romcom), and Evancius A. Sangma (Vann). Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta (J) are reserve players. Steve Vitug (Dale) will coach the team.

Kyle, Kimyy, and Asuna play for True Rippers. The trio recently won the MOBA Legends Masters Series (MLMS). That result secured qualification to the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. India entered that event as the title’s sole representative. The wider roster also includes Romcom and Vann from GodLike Esports.

Romcom and Vann won Mythic Showdown Season 2 last year. Apex plays for S8UL Esports and previously appeared at the MLBB Mid Season Cup at EWC 2024. J is also listed with shared results beside Apex. That includes a win at the Rai Star x Gyan Gaming Cup.

MOBA Legends: 5v5! at ENC 2026 is scheduled from November 23-29. It will feature 32 national teams and the same USD 1.5 million prize pool. The Esports Foundation (EF) will issue 16 direct invitations via the ENC Ranking system. The ranking cut-off date is August 2.

Fourteen more MOBA Legends: 5v5! teams will qualify through regional online qualifiers. The last two places will be filled using wildcard invitations. India is currently ranked 11th and remains in the direct invitation race. If India misses out, the roster will play qualifiers on August 15 to 16.

"India has a strong pool of MOBA Legends talent, and this lineup reflects a good balance of proven performers and players who have earned their place through recent results. Many of these athletes already have experience competing together, which gives us a solid starting point as we work towards representing the country at the Esports Nations Cup," commented Steve Vitug aka Dale, coach of the MOBA Legends: 5v5! Team.

Esports Nations Cup 2026 India squads list and other titles updates

The announced rosters are listed below for both ENC 2026 titles.

India’s Rainbow Six Siege run at ENC 2026 ended in the Asia qualifiers. The exit came after a 0-2 quarterfinal defeat to Japan. The campaign ended with India placed among the region’s top six teams. Updates were also shared for Chess and Rocket League qualification routes.

In Chess, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin is the only Indian player with direct ENC 2026 qualification. That place came through the official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) Leaderboard. Each country or territory can have up to two Finals representatives. One more Indian player can qualify through Chess.com regional events on June 6-7 and June 13-14.

India’s Rocket League team will compete in regional qualifiers from July 17 to 19. The roster includes Abhai Ponna (Abscrazy), Karthik Raghunandan (Karvin), and Aditeya Srivastav (Riyal). Jayanth Engineer (Orjanguse) is listed as substitute. Three teams from Asia will qualify for the ENC 2026 main event.