Velocity Gaming, the Hyderabad-based Esports organization renowned for its prominence in the PC esports space, has been revealed as the final franchise for Skyesports Masters, India’s biggest gaming tournament.
The Skyesports Masters is India’s first-ever franchised Esports league, set to happen across two stages: the League stage and the LAN Playoffs. The League Stage will span multiple weeks from July 8 to Aug. 17 as the eight teams compete in a double round-robin format. Only the top four, though, will be able to make it to the Playoffs, set to happen as an on-ground tournament on Aug. 26 and 27 to crown the inaugural Skyesports Masters champions.
Commenting on entering the Skyesports Masters, Manoj Kasyap, the Founder and CEO of Velocity Gaming, said, “Counter-Strike has always been an interesting esports title, and while it hasn’t been able to grow exponentially in India, I believe the Skyesports Masters is the first step to making that happen. Skyesports has also managed to make this event very viable in the long run for franchised teams. I believe this is the first time in Indian esports something like this is happening. We don’t want to miss out on this amazing opportunity.”
Velocity Gaming has prioritized experience as it prepares to unleash a fight for the Rs. 2,00,00,000 prize pool. The roster consists of the following players:
- Bodhisattwa “The_Guru” Panday
- Dipayan “MaChOleleR” Das
- Tamajit “Logan” Ghosal
- Keven “KevinR” Ross Russel
- Muhammad “Syahhftw” Shyarul Daneal Bin Arif
- Thomas “TAV” Kurian
- Nairit “L0sttt” Banerjee
The roster is primarily composed of players scouted from the Skyesports Masters cafe qualifiers. Velocity Gaming acquired the squad of RDX which won the Kolkata cafe qualifier. The cafe qualifiers are a grassroots-level initiative by Skyesports which happened across 20 cities of the country to give a boost to CS: GO and scout for potential talent.
Headlining the experienced roster is KevinR, the veteran U.S. import who has been competing professionally since 2004 and has numerous international accolades to his name. The rest of the team is also highly accomplished as the squad has earned several top-three finishes in different tournaments, including competitions by ESL and the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM).
Commenting on Velocity Gaming joining the Skyesports Masters, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports said, “Velocity Gaming is a name synonymous with PC esports in India. It’d be an injustice to organize India’s biggest gaming tournament without the organization. I am thrilled that Manoj and Velocity believe in our vision for the Skyesports Masters and Counter-Strike. Their involvement is a testament to the potential and longevity of the league.”
With India’s biggest gaming tournament just around the corner, the stage is set for Velocity Gaming and seven other franchise to enthrall the gaming audience of the country with world-class gameplay and nail-biting action.