Indian DOTA 2 Squad Dominates South Asian Qualifiers, Secures Spot at Asian Championships

New Delhi: The Indian DOTA 2 team delivered exceptional performances, emerging victorious against Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in the South Asian qualifiers. Their triumph secured them a place at the Asian Championships LAN Finals, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 10-17.

Led by captain Manav Kunte (mnz), the star-studded lineup, including Vishal Vernekar (HBK), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Shahbaz Hussain (PinkMaN), Krish Gupta (Krish-), and substitute Jaikishan Malik (KaEL), showcased their prowess from the opening day. The team started with dominant wins over Pakistan (54-12) and Sri Lanka (39-14).

Continuing their dominant run, Team India defeated Nepal (47-24) and Bangladesh (40-16) on the second day of the qualifiers in the best-of-one matches.

In the best-of-three finals against Nepal, the Indian team displayed their skill and determination, securing comprehensive victories in the first two rounds (34-27 and 36-34). Their triumph crowned them champions of the South Asian qualifiers and the sole team from the region to advance to the Asian qualifiers.

The Indian team earned their qualification for the South Asian qualifiers by defeating Team Mob in the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2023, organized by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) earlier this year.

Notably, Vishal and Abhishek, prominent players of the squad, were part of the historic DOTA 2 team that won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in 2022.

In the next stage, the Indian DOTA 2 team will compete against formidable opponents such as Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Mongolia, Australia, Jordan, Myanmar, and Saudi Arabia to secure a spot at the 15th World Esports Championships (WEC) in Iasi from August 24 to September 4, 2023.

Vinod Tiwari, President of the Esports Federation of India, expressed immense pride in the Indian DOTA 2 team’s outstanding performance, hailing their talent, skill, and collective efforts. He highlighted the potential of India’s gaming industry, applauding the qualification of all Indian teams for the Asian qualifiers. Tiwari conveyed his congratulations to the team and anticipated their remarkable performances at the Asia LAN finals in Riyadh.

In addition to the DOTA 2 team’s qualification, India showcased an impeccable performance at the South Asian regionals, with the country’s CS:GO male and female teams securing their spots at the Asian Championships.

Furthermore, renowned Tekken 7 player Abhinav Tejan and eFootball athlete Ibrahim Gulrez have already secured their qualifications for the 15th WEC, which boasts a substantial prize pool of $500,000 (INR 4.12 crore) and promises to be the largest edition of the tournament to date, featuring participation from over 130 countries in eFootball, DOTA 2, Tekken 7, Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and CS:GO.