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Tag: Darshan Bata

  • Maharashtra govt rewards state’s Asian Games 2022 e-sports athletes with Rs 10 lakhs

    Maharashtra govt rewards state’s Asian Games 2022 e-sports athletes with Rs 10 lakhs

    Mumbai: In a groundbreaking move, the directorate of sports and youth services of the Government of Maharashtra has rewarded a significant amount of Rs 10 lakhs to each Esports athlete of the state who represented India in the Asian Games 2022, held in Hangzhou. This marks a historic moment for Indian Esports, as it is the first time any state has included Esports alongside mainstream sports in prize money rewards for its state players in a major tournament.

    The recipients of this monetary reward include Darshan Bata, captain of the DOTA 2 team, along with his teammates Krish Gupta, Ketan Goyal, and Shubham Goli, as well as League of Legends athlete Samarth Trivedi.

    Expressing his gratitude, Darshan Bata, the captain of the DOTA 2 team who hails from Mumbai, said, “I would like to express my sincere thanks to ESFI and the Maharashtra government for honoring us and recognizing and supporting Esports.”

    Esports made its debut as a full-fledged medal event at the Asian Games 2022, where a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competed for gold medals across seven titles. India participated in four of these titles, including DOTA 2, EA Sports FC Online, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    “It has been a great experience at Asian games, I am grateful for the support I received from the Maharashtra government and I really appreciate the efforts ESFI has contributed to our journey,” stated Ketan Goyal of Pune who was a part of the DOTA 2 team at the Asian Games 2022.

    The talented Indian contingent for the Asian Games was sent by Esports Federation of India (ESFI), who had organized open for all nationwide online qualifiers to select the best and most deserving athletes to compete for the nation at the tournament.

    “Really happy to see that Esports is getting recognized and we are being aided by the government. Thank you for the support to Maharashtra Government and a big shoutout to ESFI for giving us this opportunity to represent India in the Asian games,” highlighted Krish Gupta of Pune, a member of the Indian DOTA 2 team.

    The League of Legends team, in particular, achieved a historic fifth-place finish at the 19th Asian Games after competing against top-tier teams from around the continent.

    “I am really grateful to the Maharashtra government for providing us with the financial support. It is amazing to see Esports being recognized by the Government. A huge shoutout to ESFI for giving us the opportunity and platform to compete at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou,” commented Samarth Trivedi of Thane who played a pivotal part in the country’s performance in League of Legends at the tournament.

    Prior to the 19th Asian Games, India had also secured a remarkable bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in DOTA 2, showcasing the country’s prowess in video gaming on the international stage.

    “Thank you ESFI and team for all you support throughout Asian games 2022. We are really blessed and honored by Maharashtra Government for supporting Esports players and considering Esports in events like Commonwealth and Asian Games,” noted Shubham Goli, a resident of Pune who represented India at both the Commonwealth Esports Championships as well as the Asian Games 2022 in DOTA 2.

    The latest FICCI-EY report titled ‘#Reinvent: India’s media & entertainment sector is innovating for the future, India is expected to have 20 international teams by 2024.

    The Maharashtra government’s recognition and support of Esports signals a significant milestone in the journey towards mainstream acceptance of competitive gaming as a legitimate sport in the country.

  • India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    Mumbai: India’s 15-member Esports contingent wrapped up its remarkable journey at the ongoing Asian Games 2022 as the nation’s DOTA 2 team exited the competition at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on Friday.

    The DOTA 2 squad led by skipper Darshan Bata (A35), and comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) endured a 0-1 defeat against Kyrgyzstan in their opening group game before going down 0-1 against the Philippines in the second group stage game to bow out of the competition.

    In what was Esports’ debut as an official medal sport at the prestigious tournament, India had participated in four of the seven total titles namely: DOTA 2, League of Legends, EA Sports FC Online, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    “We are proud of our Esports athletes’ resolute efforts and gritty performances at the Asian Games 2022. Each and every athlete from the contingent is an inspiration for India’s budding Esports community that wants to represent their country in Esports. This tournament has provided an invaluable experience and motivation for our Esports athletes to build upon and enhance their gameplay for the future,” said Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji.

    India’s prolific League of Legends team captained by Akshaj Shenoy (Kai), and comprising Samarth Arvind Trivedi (CrankO), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorp), Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Aditya Selvaraj (Krow) finished fifth at 19th Asian Games after suffering a hard-fought 0-2 defeat against Vietnam in the quarter finals.

    The country’s star EA Sports FC Online athlete, Charanjot Singh, secured the ninth place out of a total pool of 36 leading athletes from the continent in this competition. The 20-year-old began his campaign with a 0:2 defeat to China’s Liu Jiacheng in the Round of 32 but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

    However, his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. His compatriot Karman Singh exited the competition after going down by 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2.

    “Despite the competition being fierce, our League of Legends team secured a remarkable fifth-place finish, while Charanjot Singh achieved a commendable ninth place among the continent’s top EA Sports FC Online athletes. We are now eagerly anticipating the Asian Games 2026, where Esports will once again be an official medal sport, and our full-strength Indian contingent will give their all in pursuit of glory,” added Lokesh Suji.

    In Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, the talented Ayan Biswas clinched a Top 16 place for India. He began his campaign on a winning note against Nguyen Khanh Hung Chau of Vietnam from the Round of 32 suffering a defeat against Alrayfal Abdulrahman Salem A of Saudi Arabia in the Winners Bracket Round 1. He then beat Vietnam’s Nguyen again by 2-0 in the Losers Bracket Round 2 but fell short against Yeh Man Ho of Hong Kong in the Losers Bracket Round 3.

    Ayan’s teammate, Mayank Prajapati began his tournament against Rajikhan Talal Fuad T of Saudi Arabia and fought valiantly in a fiercely contested 1-2 defeat. He then endured another loss against Al-Mannai Abdulla of Qatar by 0-2 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 and exited the tournament.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports made its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 where a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competed for gold medals in seven different titles.

     

  • India’s DOTA 2 team eyes success at Asian Games 2022

    India’s DOTA 2 team eyes success at Asian Games 2022

    Mumbai: India’s premier DOTA 2 team is gearing up to recreate their stunning success at the Commonwealth Esports Championships as they take on Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in their opening group stage games of the Asian Games 2022 at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on 29 September.

    Led by skipper Darshan Bata (A35), the skilled DOTA 2 unit comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) has been drawn into Group A, where they are scheduled to compete against Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in Best-of-One (BO1) single round-robin format matches. The top-ranked team from this group will advance to face Nepal in the quarter-finals on 30 September.

    All matches in the elimination stage for DOTA 2 will be contested in the head-to-head, Best-of-Three (BO3) single elimination format. There will be a total of 14 notable teams participating in the title.

    “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 DOTA 2 team captain Darshan Bata.

    The squad sealed their qualification for the Asian Games 2022, by prevailing in the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC) organized by Esports Federation of India (ESFI) last year. The team’s experienced players Ketan, Abhishek, and Shubham were part of the iconic squad that scripted history by clinching the bronze medal at last year’s inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham.

    Sharing his thoughts on the talented team participating in the tournament, Esports Federation of India director & Asian Esports Federation (AESF) vice president Lokesh Suji expressed, “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.”

    One of the country’s top sports and Esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as its official communication partner.

    On Sunday, India’s Charanjot Singh and Karman Tikka bowed out of the Asian Games 2022 after suffering hard-fought defeats in EA Sports FC Online.

    Charanjot suffered a 0:2 defeat to China’s Liu Jiacheng in his opening game but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins. He won by 2:0 against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, 2-1 against Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and 2-0 against Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

    However, his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. The 20-year-old finished in the Top 16.

    On the other hand, Karman Singh went down fighting in a 1-2 loss against Faqeehi Abdulaziz Abdullatif of Bahrain in his tournament opener. Similar to Charanjot, he too made a strong comeback by defeating Kiswani Abdelrahman of Palestine by 2-1 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 before going down by 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2 to exit the competition.

    On Tuesday, two of the country’s most distinguished Street Fighter V: Champion Edition athletes, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01) will embark on their pursuit for a medal from the Round of 32 stage. Mayank will go head to head against T.F. Rajikhan of Saudi Arabia while his teammate, Ayan Biswas, will be up against K.H.C Nguyen of Vietnam.

    Following the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition fixtures, the nation’s star-studded League of Legends which has been seeded directly to the quarter-finals will begin its campaign on 27 September. As a result of dominating the recently held Central and South Asia seeding event and clinching top seed, the team has gained direct entry into the top-8 of the tournament and will face Vietnam in its tournament opener.