Undeniably, 2023 has been a big year for the Indian esports ecosystem. With the relaunch of BGMI, multiple BGMI LANs including the India-Korea Invitational, India's first-ever international Valorant LAN in Convergence 2023, and Godlike Esports' podium finish at Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2023, it has been a stellar year for the sector in the nation. To make things even better, Bihar State Sports Authority has organized India's first state-level esports tournament and promised to add esports to the school and college curriculum. 

On 28 December 2023, Bihar State Sports Authority organized the 1st Bihar Esports Open Championship Final at Patliputra Sports Complex, Kankarbagh, Patna, featuring several esports titles like eChess, FIFA 23, BGMI and Real Cricket 24. Several renowned personalities from Indian esports, including Ammar 'Destro' Khan (former Gladiator Esports player), attended the event. 

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Bihar Government To Add Esports In School And College Curriculums While Introducing Esports Policies 

While the Indian esports and gaming industry has grown manifold in the past few years, Governments have been a bit slow to recognize the sector. Government involvement, like Bihar State Sports Authority's (BSSA) organizing a state-level championship, works as a catalyst to boost the gaming industry. 

At the beginning of December 2023, BSSA announced their 1st Bihar Esports Open Championship, a full-fledged esports tournament comprising eChess, FIFA 23, BGMI and Real Cricket 24. To end the championship in grand fashion, the Bihar State Sports Authority organized a LAN event at Patliputra Sports Complex, Kankarbagh, Patna. Several government officials like Shri Jitendra Kumar Rai, Minister of Art, Culture & Youth Department, Bihar, and I.P.S Raveendran Sankaran, Director General cum Chief Executive Officer of BSSA, attended the event. The Bihar Esports Championship Finals also featured the BGIS 2023 winning in-game leader, Ammar 'Destro' Khan, as the special guest. 

At the Bihar Esports Championship Final, Shri Jitendra Kumar Rai proudly acknowledged the achievements of mobile gamers and how the Government is looking forward to supporting the esports industry. Director General of BSSA, Raveendran Sankaran, announced that the Bihar Government will introduce esports policies to support the sector and will also introduce esports into school and college curriculums.

The players and teams with podium finishes in their respective titles at the Bihar Esports Championship Finals received cash prizes alongside the honor of winning the first state-sponsored esports event. The overall prize pool was distributed amongst the top three, with the player/team in first position receiving Rs. 20,000, while those coming in second and third were rewarded with Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000, respectively. In addition to the cash prize, the Government will provide free training to all the winners with the support of Bihar State Sports Authority. 

The semi-finals of BMPS 2024 have begun with 24 teams competing for a place in the finals, which will take place in Kochi, Kerala. The teams played six matches in a day and the ones who remain a part of the top 16 will make it to finals. On day 1, TWOB, led by Prince clinched first place with 49 points. In second place was Team XSpark with 38 points and the highest finishes in the game: 27. 

Extremely seasoned teams like team iQOO Soul and Global Esports failed to make it to the semi finals of the Rs 2 crore prize pool competition.  

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TWOB Tops Points Table on BMPS 2024 Semifinals Day 1

The first match of the day was won by Reckoning Esports. The squad comprising of young lads was able to get a 22 points chicken dinner. The second match of the day was played in Miramar. It was Medal Esports' lineup that consisted of experienced players that won by game with a 17 points chicken dinner. The third match od the day was won by Team XSpark. The team managed to get a huge 17 finishes chicken dinner, taking their total of a whopping 38 points at the end of the day. Here is what the points table for the first day looks like: 

1. TWOB - 49 points

2. Team XSpark - 38 points

3. Reckoning Esports - 34 points

4. Ignite Gaming - 34 points

5. Phoenix - 33 points

6. Orangutan - 32 points

7. Numen Gaming - 30 points

8. Medal Esports - 29 points

9. WindGod - 28 points

10. Silly Esports - 25 points

11. Team Versatile - 25 points

12. Team Limra - 24 points

13. Gods Reign - 22 points

14. Team 8Bit - 20 points

15. Hyderabad Hydras - 19 points

16. Blind Esports - 15 points

17. GodLike - 14 points

18. RTGxIND - 13 points

19. CarpeDiem - 11 points

20. MOGO - 11 points

21. Team Bliss - 10 points

22. Sarkar Gaming - 5 points

23. Inferno Squad - 5 points

24. Team Dragons - 1 point 

The fourth match of the day was won by Orangutan, who owned the snowy caps of Vikendi with a 19 points chicken dinner. TWOB won the fifth match of the day, with this, they also became the first team to get a double chicken dinner in the semi finals. Wingod Esports won the last match of the day and they got a total of 25 points from the match. 

A shocking piece of news is coming from GodLike Esports' camp as their EA FC athlete, Saransh Jain took to X (formerly Twitter) and informed his audience that he has decided to part ways with the organisation. Saransh had joined the organisation in October 2022. Since then, he has represented the organisation in various global competitions. However, because of not receiving his fees for the last six months, the pro player decided to leave the organisation. 

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Saransh Jain Leaves GodLike Esports Almost 2 Years After Joining The Organisation

In a post on X, Saransh said that he is a free agent for EA FC 25. In addition to that, he also added that if there is an organisation who will be willing to get him onboard as an athlete, they can message or email him. 

Curious about his sudden departure, one of the fans confirmed whether he had left GodLike Esports, to which, he replied "yes." He also added that he hadn't received his dues for over six months, which is why he had to take the decision to leave. 

He also posted the same message on Instagram, and wrote: 

FREE AGENT for FC 25!!
Interested teams / orgs please DM or email me at : [email protected]

For now, it is unclear where Saransh will go next. It has been a while since he posted on X. For now, it is safe to assume that he is still a free agent and is still looking for a time. In addition to this, GodLike Esports has not reacted to the whole situation, neither have they given out a public statement with regards to Saransh's exit. Normally, GodLike Esports posts a farewell post for their athletes, but this hasn't been the case for Saransh. 

Round 3 of BMPS 2024 will see 48 teams compete to make it to the final round, which will take place in Kochi as a LAN event. These 48 teams were the top performers from the second round, which had 64 teams. From Round three, only 24 teams will move to the semi-finals and eventually, 16 teams will play in the finals. Here are all the teams playing in BMPS 2024 Round 3, match schedule and more. 

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BMPS 2024 Round 3 Groups and Teams

Krafton hosted a draw to pick the groups that the 48 teams will be a part of. Karan Pathak, the Esports Head of Krafton India Esports took out the teams' names from the pot and decided their fate. Here are all the teams and the groups they are divided in: 

Group 1

1. Team Insane

2. Blind Esports

3. IMPRNT

4. MOGO Esports

5. RTGxIND

6. Team Crow

7. FS Esports

8. Hyderabad Hydras

9. Team Lolzzz

10. Team Versatile

11. Reckoning Esports

12. Honoured Rivalz

13. Gods Reign

14. CarpeDiem

15. Global Esports

16. Team Soul

Group 2

1. TCW

2. WSB Gaming

3. Karunaadu

4. Legacy Esports

5. TMG

6. Team Dragons

7. Inferno Squad

8. R4W Official

9. Team Bliss

10. Team Limra

11. Silly Esports

12. Genxfm

13. Orangutan

14. Team 8Bit

15. TWOB

16. Phoenix

Group 3

1. Rivals Ape X

2. GlitchxReborn

3. Sarkar Gaming

4. Autobotz

5. Team Cosmic

6. 4Merical Vibes

7. Medal Esports

8. Ignite Gaming

9. Numen Gaming

10. WindGod

11. Gujarat Tigers

12. DO OR DIE

13. THW

14. Carnival Gaming

15. Team XSpark

16. Team GodLike

Round 2 of BMPS 204 will begin today with 64 teams competing to make it to the top of the leaderboard and make it to the next round. To announce the groups of the second round, Krafton India Esports hosted a live stream to pick the draws. The thrill of seeing their favourite team was so great that a lot of fans joined the stream. Here is what the groups and all the 64 teams that have qualified look like. 

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BMPS 2024 Round 2 Groups

The tournament started with 128 invited teams and half of them have been eliminated from the competition. All the 64 teams have been divided into four groups of 16 and all of them will compete against each other in a pre-decided schedule and map order. Here are the groups: 

Group 1

1. Team Cosmic
2. Hyper Rush
3. LOC Esports
4. DO OR DIE
5. Eye4Eye
6. Dragon Esports
7. Karunaadu
8. Legacy Esports
9. Phoenix
10. Revenant Esports
11. Genxfm
12. CarpeDiem
13. Silly Esports
14. Carnival Esports
15. THW Esports
16. Honoured Rivalz

Group 2

1. IMPRNT
2. Blind Rippers
3. Team Lolzzz
4. Team Dragons
5. GlitchxReborn
6. RTGxIND
7. Team INS
8. Numen Gaming
9. Team Captain
10. Angry Swain
11. Inferno Squad
12. Rivals Ape X
13. Team Soul
14. WSB Gaming
15. Team GodLike
16. Team Insane

Group 3

1. Sarkar Gaming
2. Global Esports
3. TMG
4. K9 Squad
5. Error Esports
6. Autobotz
7. 4Merical Esports
8. FS Esports
9. Ignite Gaming
10. Reckoning Esports
11. Blind Esports
12. Team Versatile
13. Gujarat Tigers
14. MOGO Esports
15. Team 8Bit
16. TWOB

Group 4

1. 4Aggressive Men
2. Aerobotz
3. Team Crow
4. TCW
5. Team Elevate
6. Bliss Esports
7. Medal Esports
8. Team Limra
9. WindGod
10. Team XSpark
11. Astrokids
12. R4W Official
13. Orangutan
14. Hyderabad Hydras
15. Vasista Esports
16. Gods Reign

The teams will be playing six matches in a day and they will begin from 3:00 PM onwards. The stream will be live on Krafton India Esports' YouTube channel. You can join the live stream and chat to root and cheer for your favourite players and teams.

Skyesports has announced the roadmap for the 2025 CS2 esports tournament. The roadmap includes two huge tournaments that have a combined prize pool of $1.75 million. The tournament will have Tier 1 events and Tier 2 events, which will see national and international participation.

The Tier 1 tournaments will have Open Qualifiers across India; Europe; the Americas and the Rest of Asia, which is in line with Valve's vision of having a more open sporting ecosystem. 

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Skyesports Announces 2025 CS2 Esports Roadmap with $1.75 Million Prize Pool

The four CS2 tournaments will start in February 2025 and from there, the ball will get rolling for other Skyesports' CS2 events. Here is the schedule for all the Tier 1 and Tier 2 events:

• Skyesports Souvenir 2025: Feb. 17 to 23, 2025 ($250,000 - Tier 2) 
• Skyesports Masters 2025: May 26 to June 1, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1) 
• Skyesports Championship 2025: Sept. 15 to 21, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1) 
• Skyesports World Tour 2025: Nov. 10 to 16, 2025 ($500,000 - Tier 1)

Skyesports Souvenir 2025 will not have open qualifiers but will have online Closed Qualifiers, which will take place from January 20 to 26, 2025. Skyesports Souvenir 2025 will have a $250,000 prize pool., which will be split as follows: 

● 1st place: $100,000 
● 2nd place: $50,000
● 3rd place: $35,000 
● 4th place: $25,000 
● 5th-6th place: $12,500 each 
● 7th-8th place: $7,500 each

The Tier 1 events, Skyesports Masters 2025, Skyesports Championship 2025 and Skyesports World Tour 2025 will have open qualifiers, which will see 256 compete in the competition. Here is the prize pool for the same and its distribution:

● 1st place: $200,000 
● 2nd place: $100,000 
● 3rd-4th place: $60,000 each 
● 5th-8th place: $20,000 each 

Skyesports will also be providing a lot of facilities, which are in line with the tournament hosting guidelines set by Valve. These include points like not including players who have previously indulged in cheating, misconduct or other infractions.