Gaming
Team K9 Esports clinch BGMS Season 4 title, take home Rs 60 lakh
MUMBAI: The squad stormed to victory at the Oneplus android ‘Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series’ (BGMS), lifting the trophy and walking away with Rs 60 lakh from the Rs 1.5 crore prize pool. The three-day LAN finals, held from 12–14 September at the Nodwin Gaming Arena in Delhi, drew record eyeballs: over 10 million views on Youtube and more than 500,000 on Jiohotstar, with streams in Hindi, English, and Gujarati.
Led by in-game leader Sahil “Omega” Jakhar, Team K9 Esports (Arclyn, Beast, Ninjaboi, and Slug) topped the table on all three days, finishing with 107 points and three chicken dinners. “One in the bag, more to go,” Omega quipped after their win.
Sinewy Esports and Iqoo Soul tied at 96 points but Sinewy edged second place on finishes, pocketing Rs 22.6 lakh. True Rippers and Revenant Xspark completed the top five.
Individual honours shone too: Hydro of True Rippers was named MVP with 27 finishes, while Tracegod of Revenant Xspark bagged the ‘TVS Most Wicked Player’ award for a stunning 113 finishes across the season.
This season also pushed boundaries beyond the battlefield. With its dual-format league, grassroots teams and even all-women rosters from the BGCS feeder league earned their shot on the big stage. Big-name partners including Oneplus, TVS, Red Bull, Swiggy, Bisleri, and even Tesla (which showcased its Model Y) added to the spectacle.
Nodwin Gaming, co-founder and md, Akshat Rathee, hailed the season as a breakthrough moment and said, “From all-women teams to new brands entering esports, BGMS Season 4 has set benchmarks for inclusivity, scale and reach, bringing competitive gaming to Indian homes on TV and OTT, and proving it’s more than just a tournament. It’s a movement.”
Gaming
Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons launch India’s first official F1 sim racing championship
Nationwide competition creates pathway from virtual racing to pro motorsport
MUMBAI: Formula 1 has teamed up with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited to launch India’s first officially sanctioned F1 sim racing competition, marking a new step in the country’s growing motorsport ecosystem.
The championship, titled F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, will offer a structured national platform for sim racers, with participants competing on the official F1 25 across multiple stages. The competition will begin with online qualifiers, followed by city-based simulator rounds, before culminating in a national final in Mumbai this November.
Open to players across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, registrations for the event will begin on 30 April via the Mumbai Falcons app. The format mirrors real-world racing, featuring official circuits, team liveries and competitive structures aligned with the global series.
Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan said the initiative arrives at a time when interest in the sport is surging in India, adding that a structured sim racing platform could help identify and nurture the next generation of talent.
Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited managing director Ameet Gadhoke noted that the championship aligns with the team’s long-term goal of building a strong motorsport pipeline in the country and placing Indian talent on the global stage.
The launch also reflects broader momentum in esports, especially after its recognition under India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. By bridging gaming and real-world racing, the initiative aims to offer aspiring drivers a credible entry point into professional motorsport.
With interest in Formula 1 steadily rising and conversations around its return to India gaining pace, the new championship could become a proving ground for future racing stars.
