NODWIN GAMING, IN COLLABORATION with KRAFTON India Esports, Monday announced the launch of BGMI: Naye Khiladi, a new Battlegrounds Mobile India tournament built to “spotlight the next generation of esports athletes and provide a pathway for emerging talent to enter the competitive ecosystem”.
Built around the spirit of #AbTeriBaari, BGMI: Naye Khiladi is an open-for-all competition that gives aspiring players, grassroots teams, and rising contenders an opportunity to compete, gain recognition, and showcase their skills on a national stage.
Registrations for the tournament will remain open from June 15 to June 21.
Featuring a total prize pool of ₹10,00,000, BGMI: Naye Khiladi aims to become one of India’s largest grassroots talent discovery initiatives for BGMI. The tournament will begin with in-game qualifiers conducted within Battlegrounds Mobile India, where players’ performances in Classic Ranked matches during the qualification window will determine their eligibility for Round 1. The competition will then progress through multiple stages, culminating with the top 1,024 teams advancing to the NODWIN Gaming-operated tournament phase and ultimately competing in the all-online Grand Finals.
Per an official release, by lowering barriers to entry and enabling widespread participation, BGMI: Naye Khiladi reinforces the shared commitment of NODWIN Gaming and KRAFTON India towards strengthening India’s esports ecosystem and expanding opportunities for future champions.
KRAFTON India will further support the initiative through promotional activities across Krafton India Esports channels, helping drive participation and visibility for the tournament nationwide.
The squad was captained by Akshaj Shenoy and also featured Sanindhya Malik, Aakash Shandilya, Mihir Ranjan, Rahul Bisht, and Ahmed Shahid. The qualifier featured 14 nations across four groups.
India captain Akshaj Shenoy said, “I am extremely proud of the whole team for delivering a spectacular performance and securing a clean 3-0 record in our group. We are super happy that years of practice and perseverance have finally paid off on an international stage, allowing us to showcase India’s potential to the rest of the world. A big thank you to ESFI for facilitating our success and supporting us from the very beginning.”
India previously finished fifth in League of Legends at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and will head to Aichi-Nagoya 2026 aiming to improve on that result and secure the country’s first esports medal at the Asian Games.
League of Legends is a medal event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan later this year.
