Indian Esports Team Advances to PUBG Mobile Global Championship

Team Orangutan won the BGMI Showdown 2025 on Sunday, taking home ₹30 lakh in prize money and a berth in the PUBG Mobile Global Championship. The tournament, held Oct. 11-13 at a live arena here, featured 16 teams competing for a ₹1 crore prize pool. Krafton India organized the event with sponsorship from OnePlus and iQOO.

The competition drew 4.5 million live views across YouTube and Loco. Sixteen teams qualified through rounds that began Sept. 18.

The top eight finishers, including Orangutan, OnePlus K9 Esports and iQOO Soul, will compete in the BGMI International Cup 2025 in Delhi from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. That tournament will include four teams each from South Korea and Japan and feature two additional spots in the PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2025 for the top two teams.

Testing Against Regional Powers

The Delhi event represents the first time teams from India, Japan and South Korea will compete in a unified circuit held in India. Indian squads will face established teams including Dplus and NongShim RedForce from South Korea.

Additionally, Orangutan will compete at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship starting Nov. 24, as one of 40 teams selected worldwide.

The tournament reflects broader investment in India's mobile gaming sector. Corporate sponsors have increased their presence in Indian esports over the past two years as viewership has grown.

Krafton has positioned India as a key market for BGMI, which returned to Indian app stores in 2023 after a government ban. The company has invested in tournament infrastructure and regional competitions as part of its strategy in South Asian markets.

Industry observers note that consistent performance against international competition will determine whether Indian teams can establish themselves as regular contenders rather than occasional participants in global events.