Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], May 30 (ANI): NODWIN Gaming, India's National Team Partner (NTP) for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, has officially announced the country's Rocket League roster while also confirming Grandmaster Nihal Sarin's direct qualification for chess at the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026. In Chess, Nihal becomes the only Indian player to secure direct qualification for the ENC 2026 main event through the official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) Leaderboard. Meanwhile, India's Rocket League contingent featuring Abhai Ponna (Abscrazy), Karthik Raghunandan (Karvin), Aditeya Srivastav (Riyal), and substitute player Jayanth Engineer (Orjanguse) will compete in the regional qualifiers for a chance to secure qualification to the main event, according to a release. Chess at ENC 2026 will bring together some of the world's top players in a country/territory-based format. The competition will take place from November 2 to 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring 128 players competing for a prize pool of USD 600,000 (~INR 5.7 crore). The first stage will consist of all 128 players competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring 16 groups of eight players. The second stage will consist of 64 players competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. The tournament has allocated 64 direct invitations through the official CCT rankings, with a maximum of one directly invited player permitted per country or territory. As the highest-ranked Indian player on the leaderboard, Nihal secured a direct invitation alongside renowned players including Norway's Magnus Carlsen, Belarus' Denis Lazavik, Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda, France's Alireza Firouzja, the United States' Hikaru Nakamura and others. Nihal enjoyed a strong campaign across the CCT 2025-2026 season, which featured the Speed Chess Championship (SCC) 2025, Chess.com Open (CCO) 2026, and the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix (TTGP) circuit. After narrowly missing direct qualification through the CCO 2026 by finishing just one spot short, he secured 100 crucial leaderboard points before adding further points through consistent performances across the TTGP Autumn, Winter, and Spring splits. He ultimately finished with 139 leaderboard points to secure his berth at ENC 2026, placing him among the top six players in the official ENC Chess rankings. Apart from the directly invited players, 61 more competitors will qualify through regional qualifiers operated by Chess.com, including India's qualifiers scheduled for June 6-7 and June 13-14. The final three players will qualify through wildcard slots. Every country and territory can be represented by up to two players at the Finals. Where a player receives a direct invitation through the official rankings, an additional representative from the same market can still qualify through regional competition. Given the popularity of Chess across the world, the Chess tournament will likely become the title with the largest representation of countries and territories at ENC. Representing esports and gaming content powerhouse S8UL, Nihal previously competed at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 as one of only two Indian players at the event and has now also secured qualification for the upcoming EWC edition through the CCT Leaderboard pathway. Speaking about his direct invite, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin said his experience at last year's Esports World Cup showed him how quickly chess is growing within the global esports scene. He described the tournament as memorable due to its scale and strong competition, and said representing India at the Esports Nations Cup makes the event especially meaningful.

'Playing at the Esports World Cup last year gave me first-hand experience of how rapidly Chess is growing within the global esports ecosystem. The scale of the tournament and the level of players involved made it a memorable experience. The Esports Nations Cup 2026 brings a different kind of excitement because of the opportunity to represent India in a country-based format. Competing under the national flag against some of the world's strongest players makes this a very special event, and I'm really looking forward to being part of it,' he said. India's Rocket League roster brings together a mix of experienced veterans and emerging talent from the title's growing competitive ecosystem in the country. The squad will be coached by Nirjhar Mitra aka jocse, who was earlier appointed by NODWIN Gaming as India's national coach for Rocket League and is responsible for identifying players, defining team strategy, and building competitive lineups. As one of India's most decorated Rocket League players, Abscrazy enters the tournament having represented the country at the FIFAe Nations League 2026 while also winning titles including the Esportz Premier Series 2022, ASUS ROG Showdown Series, and APL Indian National. He has also competed internationally at the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) 2021-22 Spring Split Major. Karvin has established himself as one of India's standout rising players with multiple strong finishes in the APAC RLCS this season, while Riyal is regarded as one of the country's most promising young talents. Both players have previously teamed up with Abscrazy under Big Dawgs, giving the Indian lineup valuable chemistry heading into the qualifiers. Orjanguse, meanwhile, has consistently remained close to breakthrough performances in the RLCS ecosystem and recently secured a top-four finish alongside Abscrazy and Karvin while representing India at FIFAe Nations League Week 1.

Abhai Ponna said the Esports Nations Cup is a major opportunity for Indian Rocket League players to represent the country on a big international stage. 'The Esports Nations Cup 2026 is a huge opportunity for Rocket League players in India because events like these give us the chance to represent the country on one of the biggest international stages in esports. This roster combines experienced players with younger talent that has been steadily growing through the competitive circuit, and many of us already have strong chemistry from competing together in the past. Our immediate focus is on the regional qualifiers and making sure we secure India's place at the main event in Riyadh,' said Abhai Ponna aka Abscrazy. Rocket League at the ENC 2026 will feature 48 national teams competing in fast-paced 3v3 matches built around precision, mechanics, and teamwork. The competition will feature a prize pool of USD 1.32 million (~INR 12.5 crore) and will take place from November 2-8 in Riyadh. The first stage will feature 48 teams competing in a round-robin group stage across eight groups of six teams each, followed by a 16-team single-elimination playoff bracket. A total of 24 rosters have already received direct invitations to the ENC 2026 Finals through the official ENC Rankings, which track player performances across all official RLCS events. Teams ranked outside the top 24 will compete in online regional qualifiers from July 17 to 19. India will compete in the Asia qualifiers, where three countries will secure qualification for the main event. (ANI)