The Electronic Sports League (ESL) has partnered with NODWIN Gaming to launch the ESL India Premiership, India’s first annual tournament series. The event will host six online cups and three LAN events through the year. The event offers a prize pool of over $64,000, which is more that Rs. 42 lakhs. The tournament will feature three esports titles namely Dota 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Hearthstone. It will also be the first esports championship to introduce ‘Just Dance’ in India.
Gamers can participate individually or as a team and win cash prizes, while standing a chance to qualify for LAN events. These events are classified into ‘Challengers’ and ‘Masters’ and are organised on a world class level. Each of the two Challengers offers a total prize pool of over Rs. 17 lacs, while champions of the Masters stand to win close to Rs. 20 lacs. Ralf Reichert, Managing Director of ESL said, “We are very excited to get started with the ESL India Premiership, and I personally can’t wait to experience it live, as I’m sure the crowd will be fantastic. In the meantime, we will ensure that we can deliver a world-class experience – both online and offline – to the local and international fans, and hope this tournament series helps foster growth in the region.”
The online cups are scheduled to start from May 9, while the Challengers will be held on August and November. The Masters will be held in December. ESL has also partnered with Twitch and the tournament can be viewed live every day from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm on the Twitch ESL India Premiership channel.