Are you hyped for some Dota 2 action?
Set to take place in Mumbai, ESL One Mumbai 2019 has been billed as India’s first ever premiere event and features international talent and top-tier professional teams.
Unfortunately, scheduling changes have forced some teams to pull out, but the remaining eight squads, compLexity Gaming, Natus Vincere, Mineski, The Pango, TNC Predator, Keen Gaming, Signify, and TEAM TEAM will battle it out on April 16 in a revised group format first.
They will then take to the main stage in an elimination bracket at the prestigious National Sports Club of India for their share of the US$300,000 prize pool from April 19, with the grand finals set for April 21.
Of the eight teams, two Southeast Asian teams currently stand out — Mineski and TNC Predator. The last time Mineski paid a visit to India in December last year, they won the DreamHack Mumbai Invitational 2018, while TNC Predator recently took home the top prize at the World Electronic Sports Games 2018 in March earlier this year, beating out Keen Gaming.
Other teams to pay attention to include Keen Gaming, who have been playing together for a while now and features Chinese Dota 2 legends such as old chicken, Kaka, and eLeVeN. Besides looking to take home the top prize, the Chinese team are probably out for revenge against TNC to reclaim its pride.
Fans at the event will also be paying lots of attention to local team Signify. The Indian team has been on a tear, winning minor tournaments and dominating the local ESL India Premiership.
Despite the lack of stronger teams (and crowd favorites) such as Team Secret and Team Liquid, fans can still look forward to a star-studded talent lineup, which includes veterans such as Paul “Redeye” Chaloner, Toby “TobiWan” Dawson, William “Blitz” Lee, Austin “Capitalist” Walsh and many others.
Those looking to watch the action can directly go to ESL’s streaming website or watch on Twitch.tv here starting 16/4/19 at 11.30am local time (2pm GMT +8).
