Asian Games 2023: India’s DOTA 2 team aims to replicate Commonwealth Esports Championships success; kick off campaign against Kyrgyzstan & Philippines

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New Delhi, September 26: India's premier DOTA 2 team hopes to recreate their stunning success at the Commonwealth Esports Championships when they compete at the Asian Games 2023 at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on September 29.

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.

The Indian team is 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 September 30.

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," said Darshan Bata, captain of the Indian DOTA 2 team.

"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."

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, Mr. Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) 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."

Earlier on Sunday (September 2$), India's Charanjot Singh and Karman Tikka bowed out of the Asian Games 2022 after suffering hard-fought defeats in EA Sports FC Online.

On Tuesday (September 26), two of the country's most distinguished Street Fighter V: Champion Edition athletes, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01) also had mixed results as the former exited from the losers bracket, while the latter progressed in the losers bracket.

After 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 September 27.

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.

Source: Media Release