Gaming
Serve and Volley as World Tennis League Sets Bengaluru Match in Motion
MUMBAI: Bengaluru is about to trade traffic for tie-breaks as the World Tennis League (WTL) swings into India for the first time, promising four days of high-octane rallies, bold matchups and a format built for pure adrenaline. Set to take over the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium from 17 to 20 December, the Bengaluru debut brings a snappy, strategy-heavy twist to conventional tennis and fans are already racing to Bookmyshow as Phase 1 tickets go live.
WTL 2025 will roll out a fast, four-set structure covering Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and two Doubles sets, with captains deciding their doubles line-up right after winning the pre-match toss. The twist continues with a games-won format: it’s not the sets but the total games that crown the winner, putting pressure on every rally and turning even a single break of serve into match-changing currency.
League play will see each team face off once, with the top two advancing to the final. Two ties a day guarantee a steady parade of high-tempo tennis, with traditional scoring retained Deuce replaced by a nail-biting Golden Point, tie-breaks at 6-6, and a fourth-set surge potentially unlocking Overtime. If teams pull level, a Super Shootout settles the score, ensuring no match ends without a final jolt.
THE FIXTURES
Day 1 | 17 December
Match 1: VB Realty Hawks vs Aussie Mavericks Kites
Match 2: AOS Eagles vs Game Changers Falcons
Day 2 | 18 December
Match 1: Aussie Mavericks Kites vs AOS Eagles
Match 2: Game Changers Falcons vs VB Realty Hawks
Day 3 | 19 December
Match 1: AOS Eagles vs VB Realty Hawks
Match 2: Game Changers Falcons vs Aussie Mavericks Kites
Finals | 20 December
Day 1 opens with a clash of style and swagger as the VB Realty Hawks take on the Aussie Mavericks Kites, followed by the AOS Eagles locking horns with the defending champions Game Changers Falcons, a lineup that blends personalities, power and plenty of early fireworks. Day 2 ups the tempo as the Kites return against the Eagles, before the blockbuster Falcons vs Hawks tie takes centre stage, featuring heavy hitters like Medvedev, Bopanna, Shapovalov and Svitolina and promising wall-to-wall drama.
By Day 3, the stakes thicken as AOS Eagles vs VB Realty Hawks sets the tone, paving the way for a Falcons vs Kites duel that looks destined to unleash a flurry of shot-making. By the time the finals arrive on 20 December, the week’s natural rivalries, emotional momentum and championship nerves will have done their work ensuring a finale charged with anticipation.
As Bengaluru gears up for this landmark edition, buzz is building for a format designed around intensity, atmosphere and unpredictability. With global stars, rising contenders and an enthusiastic home crowd converging for a never-seen-before contest style, the World Tennis League’s India debut is shaping up to be a rally worth remembering.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
