KRAFTON India Announces BGMI Rising Star Invitational 2026 with INR 5 Lakh Prize Pool

KRAFTON India on June 30, 2026 announced the Rising Star Invitational, India’s first BGMI invitational tournament built only around players from the KRAFTON India Esports Rising Stars Programme. The three-day event runs from July 3 to 5, with 16 Rising Stars leading five-member squads for an INR 5 lakh prize pool.

The event will be broadcast live on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel and is meant to give promising Indian BGMI talent a national stage. KRAFTON said the Invitational is the main competitive event of its Rising Stars Programme, which was expanded in 2026 with the second cohort announcement.

Rising Star Invitational: Format & Squads

Karan Pathak, Associate Director, Esports, KRAFTON India, said: "The Rising Stars Programme was built to answer a single question: what does India's next generation of professional BGMI talent look like? This invitational is where we find out. Putting Rising Stars in the captain's seat against some of the country's best professionals is the most meaningful competitive exposure we can give them - and it reflects our long-term commitment to building a pipeline from grassroots to the global stage."

The 16 captains and their squads: Hector (Hector Warriors), Hydro (Hydro Hydrogen), Knight (Knight Nightmare), Levi (Levi's Shoorveers), JatinOG (Jatin Hunters), Jasleen (Jasleen Titans), Kratos (Krazy Kratos), Justy (Justy's Jesters), Wanted (Most Wanted), Evil (Evil Squad), Mernox (Mernox Reapers), SirZalai (Tahchapa Zalai), Shiraj (Shiraj Sena), NoobPari (Noobpari Clashers), SaumRaj (Solidarity SaumRaj), and Sam (Super Sam).

The tournament will be played across Erangel, Miramar and Rondo in back-to-back matches over three days. The team with the most points will be crowned the first Rising Star Invitational champion and receive the INR 5 lakh prize pool. KRAFTON India said all matches will stream live each day on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel.