Asian Games 2023: India’s DOTA 2 team Aspires to emulate the triumph of the Commonwealth Esports Championships

DOTA 2

India’s top DOTA 2 team is preparing to replicate their impressive triumph at the Commonwealth Esports Championships as they face off against Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in their initial group stage matches of the Asian Games 2022, which will be held at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on September 29.

The highly skilled DOTA 2 team, led by captain Darshan Bata (A35), consisting of Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness), has been placed in Group A. In this group, they will compete against Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in single round-robin format matches, which will be played in a Best-of-One (BO1) format. The group winner will then move on to the quarter-finals and face Nepal on September 30th.

In the elimination stage of DOTA 2, all matches will follow a head-to-head format and will be played in a Best-of-Three (BO3) single elimination format. A total of 14 notable teams will be participating in the tournament.

“As the captain of the team, I feel an immense sense of responsibility and pride in leading the country’s first-ever DOTA 2 team at the Asian Games. The entire team has been practicing constantly in the build-up to the tournament as all of us understand the honor of representing India at such a prestigious competition. With the constant support of ESFI throughout our journey, we are ready to give our all and make the country proud by bringing home a medal,” said Darshan Bata, captain of the Indian DOTA 2 team.

The team secured their spot in the Asian Games 2022 after emerging victorious in the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC) held by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) in the previous year. Ketan, Abhishek, and Shubham, seasoned players of the team, were part of the remarkable squad that made history by earning the bronze medal in the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham last year.

Mr. Lokesh Suji, who is the Director of the Esports Federation of India and the Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), expressed his thoughts on the skilled team that is taking part in the tournament, “ At ESFI, we have witnessed the incredible growth of Esports in India and the extraordinary talent that has emerged from our nation. This DOTA 2 team consists of some of the finest players in the country who have already proved their mettle at the Commonwealth Esports Championships last year. We are confident that they will perform at a similar level in Hangzhou and bring laurels for the country.”

Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, a prominent sports and Esports communication agency in the country, will maintain its role as the official communication partner of the Esports Federation of India. In the Asian Games 2022, Charanjot Singh and Karman Tikka had to exit the competition following challenging losses in EA Sports FC Online on Sunday.

Charanjot faced a 0:2 loss to China’s Liu Jiacheng in the first match but made a strong comeback with three consecutive victories. He emerged victorious with a score of 2:0 against Aristorenas Jorrel from the Philippines, 2-1 against Alrowaihi RKM from Bahrain, and 2-0 against Yessentayev Olzhas from Kazakhstan in Rounds 1, 2, and 3 of the Losers Bracket respectively. Unfortunately, his journey ended after suffering another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in Round 4 of the Losers Bracket. The 20-year-old player finished in the Top 16.

On the contrary, Karman Singh put up a strong fight in his first match of the tournament but lost 1-2 against Faqeehi Abdulaziz Abdullatif from Bahrain. Similarly, like Charanjot, he also had a remarkable comeback in the Losers Bracket Round 1 by defeating Kiswani Abdelrahman from Palestine with a score of 2-1. Unfortunately, his journey ended in the competition as he lost 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari from Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2.

On Tuesday, two highly acclaimed professional players of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01), will commence their quest for a medal starting from the Round of 32 stage. Mayank will face off against T.F. Rajikhan from Saudi Arabia, while his teammate Ayan Biswas will be competing against K.H.C Nguyen from Vietnam.

The League of Legends tournament, featuring the nation’s top players, will commence on September 27th after the completion of the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition fixtures. By achieving victory in the Central and South Asia seeding event, the team secured a direct entry into the tournament’s Top-8 and will compete against Vietnam in their first match.

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