Eight teams and players of the Esports Premier League (ESPL) 2021 chosen through a draft process are set to face off in the inaugural edition of the tournament from 16 August 2021.
The teams are: Punjab Paladins, Chennai Celestials, Delhi Dukes, Hyderabad Hydras, Kolkata Kaijus, Rajasthan Reapers, Mumbai Marshals, and Bangalore Ballistics.
ESPL organisers got Ministers from seven states of India to launch the franchise team names, their logos and jerseys. They were: V Srinivas Goud, Minister of Sports & Youth Services, Telangana; Sunil Chhatrapal Kedar, Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare, Maharashtra; Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi; Manoj Tiwary, Minister of Department of Youth Services and Sports, West Bengal; KC Narayana Gowda, Minister of Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports Department of Planning, Karnataka; Ashok Chandna, Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs (Independent), Rajasthan; and Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Punjab. Joining them to do the honours for Chennai Celestials was director, sports broadcaster and writer RJ Balaji.
Vishwalok Nath, Director, ESPL, said, “To have the best gamers from across the country representing the final eight franchise teams as well as their team’s official jersey being unveiled by the state ministers is a matter of absolute honour and pride. Even in its inaugural edition, ESPL has received exceptional response from the Esports community, the players and the audience.”
ESPL 2021 will see athletes competing in the battle royale game Free Fire for a Rs. 25 lakh prize money purse.
Matches will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar, Free Fire, official streaming platform Booyah and Malayalam OTT platform Koode, alongside official YouTube and Facebook channels of India Today and Aaj Tak and their websites.
