Mayank Prajapati and Hemanth Kommu set to represent India at 2022 Global Esports Games

India’s Street Fighter V athlete Mayank Prajapati and reigning national eFootball champion Hemanth Kommu will represent India at the world finals of the 2022 Global Esports Games, scheduled to take place in Istanbul from December 14 to 18, 2022.

Prajapati and Kommu, being the two reigning national champions of their respective esports titles, have received direct entries for the event. India’s Dota 2 team, on the other hand, couldn’t make it to the world finals after they crashed out of the Asia-Pacific region qualifiers.

Prajapati, popularly known as MiKeYROG, clinched the title of National Esports Championships (NESC) 2022 conducted by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) in April this year. He will also represent India at the Asian Games scheduled for next year.

Meanwhile, Kommu (Peshemak7), an IIT alumnus, clinched the title at the NESC 2022 and secured his berth. Besides Global Esports Games, Kommu will also represent India at the 14th World Esports Championship, which will be held in Bali from November 27 to December 7, 2022.

Mayank Prajapati commented:

“I am super excited to represent India at GEG 2022. It’s a huge opportunity for me to play at such a big event with the top players from different countries competing. I’ve been practising a lot by playing against players in ranked games and in the battle lounge and devising strategies against different characters. I don’t know who my opponents are going to be but I’m prepared to face the challenge. I’m also thankful to [the] ESFI for giving me this opportunity. I am really looking forward to it and hopefully, if all goes well, this will definitely put the Indian fighting gaming community’s name in the world.“

Hemanth Kommu said:

“It’s a great feeling and an honour to represent India once again this year. Its sheer dedication and hard work which resulted in getting the spot for the GEG 2022 world finals. I am grateful to all the people who are supporting me. With the right mentality and proper grind, I will be aiming for good results at the world finals.“

The Dota 2 team, comprising Moin Ejaz, Shubham Goli, Ketan Goyal, Akshay Dhodi and Abhishek Yadav, began with a 2-0 win against Nepal in the first round but failed to replicate the performance in the final qualifier as they lost to Mongolia by 0-2. The team, who won bronze at the Commonwealth Games a few months back, had the final chance to qualify in the losers round against Nepal, but they went down 18-46 and 27-44 in two games, confirming their exit.

Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation, added:

“We are delighted that Hemanth and Mayank will be representing India at the prestigious GEG 2022 after all of their hard work bore fruit and they prevailed in the national qualifiers. It’s unfortunate that our DOTA 2 team couldn’t make it despite their best efforts. The world finals is going to be a huge spectacle. I wish the best of luck to the athletes and hope they make the country proud by bringing laurels back home.“

The upcoming Global Esports Games 2022, organised by the Global Esports Federation, will feature four Esports titles: Dota 2 (open and women), Street Fighter V, eFootball and PUBGM across PC, mobile and console. The ESFI also conducted national qualifiers for the women’s category in Dota 2, though no entries were received for that event.