Khawaja Nafay and Abbas Afridi lead Pakistan to four-wicket win over India after Krunal Pandya concedes 31
Pakistan beat India by four wickets in their Group C opener at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok on Friday, with captain Krunal Pandya conceding 31 runs in an over as Pakistan chased down India's 89-run target in 3.5 overs.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting India to 88/5 in their six overs. Shashank Singh top-scored with 40 off 11 deliveries, including five sixes, and shared a 57-run partnership with Nitish Rana, who made 19 off 14 before retiring out. Rahul Tripathi scored nine, Rahul Tewatia and Krunal Pandya were dismissed for ducks, and T Natarajan finished unbeaten on 12 off six balls.
In Pakistan's reply Khawaja Nafay struck 41 off 12 deliveries and captain Abbas Afridi hit 35 off eight, the pair compiling a 59-run opening stand in 13 balls. Pakistan completed the chase with 13 deliveries to spare, finishing the pursuit comfortably after the explosive start.
India's bowling unraveled when Krunal, in his only over, leaked 31 runs; Natarajan then conceded 28 in another expensive over. Shashank and Tewatia took one wicket each, but India had little chance of defending their modest total after the twin overs went for heavy runs.
Earlier on the same day Pakistan had been stunned by the United Arab Emirates, losing by one wicket after posting 106/2 in six overs. UAE captain Khalid Shah produced 71 off 20 deliveries, hitting nine sixes, and Zahid Ali finished unbeaten on 22 off eight as the UAE reached the target on the final delivery. In that match Abbas Afridi scored 53 off 13 balls for Pakistan and Abdul Samad remained unbeaten on 39 off 15.
The contrasting results leave Group C finely poised, with the defending champions bouncing back against India following their opening-day setback and the UAE gaining an early advantage from their win over Pakistan.
India's immediate challenge will be to beat the UAE in their remaining group fixture and improve their net run rate after the heavy defeat to Pakistan; with the six-a-side format leaving little room for recovery, the margin of their loss could prove significant in determining their progression to the knockout stages.
