The Indian gaming and esports sector is growing rapidly and has seen many players making their mark so far. Players who play professionally in several big video game tournaments are known as Esports athletes.

Esports professionals or athletes practise for hours each day in order to master their gameplay and top the leaderboards. With the various competitions offering attractive prize money there is enough incentive for the players to hone their skills as best as they can.

The Indian gaming community consists of some esports players who have made their names by being the best at what they do. While there are several well-known names, both established and emerging, here are the five who stand out with their exceptional gameplay talent.

1. Ankit ‘V3NOM’ Panth

Ankit Panth, also known as V3nom, is one of the biggest esports stars in India. Born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Panth was first introduced to gaming through Counter-Strike (CS) 1.6 at a gaming cafe called Boomerang in Kandivali, Mumbai.

After trying out the game, Panth fell in love with it and started playing it professionally. He later founded his own team called Warriors of Chaos (WOC) to compete in tournaments. In 2006, he formed a semi-professional team called Made in Mumbai (MiM) and started making a name for himself.

Later, Panth was offered to play as a substitute for Aakash ‘RiX’ More in one of the top three teams in India. He then went on to form a player-owned team called Brutality with RiX and won his first CS 1.6 tournament. His other big wins include the ESL Cup 2014 Season 4 (Online), Lenovo India Gaming Week 2015 in Mumbai (LAN), and Tranzeneca LAN Party Tournament 2016, Pune (LAN).