Esports has been gaining a lot of traction in recent times. As an outcome of the availability of the internet and the democratisation of smartphones, it is now also spreading to tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Along with the accessibility of the internet at cheaper rates, it made it easier for streamers as well as viewers to get involved in the esports community. As per a report by Statista, in the year 2021, there were around 17 million esports viewers in India, and this number is expected to shoot up to 85 million viewers by 2025. In June 2022, an esports tournament was even telecasted on a mainstream Indian channel for the first time. The rise in the number of viewers and streamers garnered a gush of sponsors for this sector, which gave rise to big-league esports tournaments and competitions. The large following of esports teams has made the pro players into celebrities.
Let’s look into some of the top esports teams in India
Global Esports
Global Esports is one of the best and fastest-growing teams in the Indian esports scene. If you are following esports in current years, it’s highly unlikely that you have not come across the name Global Esports. They have, in the past few years, made significant strides both nationally and globally. The Global esports organization was formed in 2017 and has teams in various esports titles like CSGO, Dota 2, Fifa, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and Valorant. It became the first organization to participate in the Valorant International League and was the sole South Asian representative in the league. The team was also crowned as the winner of the BGMI Master Series 2022. This team has repeatedly demonstrated its status as the world’s emerging esports prodigy.
Velocity Gaming
This team is quite high up in the hierarchy of the best Valorant teams in India. The Velocity Gaming organization was founded in 2017. For a brief period, the team was titled Team Mahi. They started their Valorant journey in 2020, and from there they built space for themselves in the South Asian esports scene. Velocity Gaming won the Valorant Conquerors Championship this year and also earned a spot in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Challengers Tournament.
Team S8ul
Team S8ul is amongst the best BGMI teams in India. It is an amalgamation of two esports organizations, SOUL and 8bit. S8UL is the product of three renowned esports players from India: Naman Mathur aka Mortal, Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug, and Lokesh Jain aka Goldy. Team S8ul, in June 2022, won The Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) and not only ruled the tournament but became the first team ever to win all the individual and team awards. This year, they were also invited to showcase their prowess and represent India on the global stage by Tencent for the PUBG Mobile World Invitational 2022. S8ul Esports won the award for “Content Group of the Year” at the esports award 2022.
Godlike esports
GodLike Esports has some of the best BGMI players, such as Jonathan and Clutchgod, on its roster. GodLike Esports was started in 2018 by Chetan “Kronten” Chandgude, a renowned BGMI player and streamer. One of their major accomplishments was finishing second in the BGMI Master Series 2022, organized by Nodwin Gaming. This team was the first to represent India in the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC 2021).
Orangutan Gaming
Team Orangutan has come up as one of the most competitive teams in India. It secured second place in the Battlegrounds Mobile India Showdown 2022, the first official LAN event in India. The team also won the Penta BGMI Invitational 2022 in May 2022.
Enigma Gaming
For the past few years, Enigma Gaming has emerged as one of the most dominant names in the Valorant esports scene in India. The team has established itself as a winner in many third-party tournaments. This year, Enigma Gaming made its way into the Skyesports Champions Grand Finals and secured a place in the VCT APAC Challengers.
Hyderabad Hydras
Hyderabad Hydras is one of the leading esports teams in India. They are a part of the esports Premier League and came in 4th in ESPL 2021. In 2021, they finished 6th in the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021 series, organized by Krafton. Their goal is to boost the Indian ecosystem while also establishing themselves as a top team.
Skylightz Gaming
Skylightz Gaming is one of India’s most talented BGMI teams, and their recent performances have been excellent. This is the first team to win the BattleGrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS). Following this victory, the team qualified for the PUBG Mobile Global Championships (PMGC) Grand Finals, making them the first Indian team to represent the country in a global PUBG tournament in over two years.
Initially, the mentality of people in India prompted them to think that gaming was just a waste of time, but something that was seen as a wastage of time would gradually evolve into a billion-dollar industry is sensational. The craze of esports is so prevalent that even the big smartphone companies have launched gaming-centric models. Pro-players have set an example for the people of India that what started as a hobby can be turned into a professional career by improving their skill set. Not only the players but also the spectators, with their esports, knowledge, and skills, can also make money through platforms like FanClash. This fantasy platform is India’s largest esports tournament platform. It offers enticing prizes and opportunities for both novice and professional players, allowing them to play fantasy in grand tournaments occurring around the globe.
