HONG KONG: After defeating Pakistan in their tournament opener, India suffered a double blow in the Hong Kong Super Sixes 2025, losing to Kuwait and the UAE in back-to-back matches on Saturday.
A star-studded Indian lineup went down to Kuwait by 27 runs in a thrilling Pool C fixture after a poor bowling display allowed Kuwait to post 106 for 5 in six overs.
Batting first, Kuwait stumbled early at 12 for 2 after Stuart Binny removed Adnan Idrees and Abhimanyu Mithun dismissed Meet Bhavsar. However, Bilal Tahir and captain Yasin Patel turned the game on its head. Tahir smashed 25 off nine balls, while Patel produced one of the tournament’s most explosive innings, hammering 58 off just 14 deliveries, including two fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of over 400.
Mithun led India’s bowling attack with 2 for 21, while Binny, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Dinesh Karthik took one wicket apiece.
Chasing 107, India’s top order collapsed early as Yasin Patel struck twice in the opening over, dismissing Robin Uthappa on the first ball and captain Dinesh Karthik soon after to reduce India to 9 for 2. Priyank Panchal (17 off 10), Mithun (26 off 9), and Nadeem (19 off 8) offered brief resistance, but India fell short and were bowled out for 79.
Yasin Patel once again proved decisive, claiming 3 for 23 to seal a famous win for Kuwait, who advanced to the next stage from Pool C.
UAE beat India Hong Kong Super Sixes
India’s troubles deepened later in the day when they lost the bowl round match to the UAE by four wickets. Mithun (50 off 16) and Karthik (42 off 14) powered India to 107, but the bowlers faltered again.
UAE skipper Khalid Shah led the chase with a blistering 50 off 14 balls, while Muhammad Arfan’s 20 off five deliveries guided UAE to victory with one ball remaining.
With consecutive defeats, India slipped to third place in the bowl round standings, behind Sri Lanka and UAE.
