The Indian League of Legends team, representing the country in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou (China), has left for Macau to compete against Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to determine the seeding for the main tournament.

The team proved their mettle in the National Esports Championships (NESC) hosted by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI), demonstrating their prowess in the game and qualifying for the Asian Games.

The lineup consists of Akshaj Shenoy as the captain with Samarth Arvind Trivedi, Mihir Ranjan, Aditya Selvaraj, Aakash Shandilya, and Sanindhya Malik making up the rest of the team. On June 21 the Indian team will take on both Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan followed by Kyrgyzstan the next day.

Talking about their plans and the support from ESFI, captain Akshaj Shenoy said, “With the event for the Central and South Asia region starting in 2 days, our team feels very confident going forward into the event. We’ve received training from the Esports and Training organization, FITGMR, which has partnered with ESFI to provide coaching to all the games associated with the event.”

“A few of our players were unable to confirm their participation as exams and deadlines approached, and it was ESFI that helped us by sorting them out which meant that all main members of the team could take part in the event. We are extremely excited and are ready to give it our all to make our country and our supporters proud!” he added.

The 19th Asian Games was slated to be held in September last year but was postponed due to Covid-19 concerns in China. It will now be held from September 23 – October 8, 2023. The one-year delay has given the team even more time to practise and a chance to put their best foot forward, potentially winning a medal for the country.

Director of ESFI, Lokesh Suji said, “The journey of the League of Legends team from where they started till now has been extremely commendable. We have witnessed the team’s growth and the players’ determination to secure their berth for the Asian Games and hence, are confident that they will showcase India’s Esports potential on the international stage.”

“Everyone at ESFI wishes them the best of luck for the fixtures in Macau and encourages everyone to support the team as it strives for success,” Suji added.

Apart from League of Legends, India will also be taking part in FIFA Online, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and DOTA 2. Prior to that, there was also a team for Hearthstone, but the game has now been removed as a medal event.