Gaming
Team Top-G wins DOTA 2 NESC 2023
Mumbai: Displaying exceptional teamwork and stellar gameplay, Team Top-G prevailed in the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2023, organized by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI), and qualified for the regional qualifiers of the Global Esports Games (GEG) 2023. The team will now battle it out against Malaysia and Mongolia in the regionals to secure their berth in the global finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Under the leadership of Manav Kunte (mnz), the squad comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Khaja Hussain (Pinkman), Ketan Goyal (Evil-ash), Vishal Vernekar (Hbk) and substitute Darshan Bata (A35) toppled The Mob by 2-0 in the best-of-three finals. Team Top-G had also represented India in the Asian qualifiers of DOTA 2 for the 15th World Esports Championships earlier this year.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the victory, Top-G team captain Manav Kunte said, “Winning the NESC 2023 for the second time this year is a surreal feeling. Securing our spot in the regional qualifiers for GEG23 is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and skill set of every team member. We want to express our gratitude to ESFI for providing the platform for us to represent India on the global stage and we are determined to make our nation proud.”
The first game of the finals witnessed both teams going neck-to-neck with Top-G edging out their opponents by 51-32 to take the lead. The second game however was thoroughly lopsided and Top-G comfortably overpowered The Mob by 24-6 to be crowned champions. The squad’s prominent players Vishal and Ketan were also part of the historic DOTA 2 team that clinched the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in 2022.
“We congratulate Team Top-G on their brilliant performance in the NESC 2023. By successfully qualifying for the regional qualifiers of two of the biggest Esports tournaments in the world, they have established themselves as the best DOTA 2 team in the country. We are confident that their remarkable talent will help the country ace the regional qualifiers and make their mark in Riyadh,” commented Esports Federation of India director & Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji.
The Global Esports Games 2023 (GEG23) is scheduled to take place from 11 to 16 December and will feature a total of four major titles: DOTA 2, Street Fighter, eFootball 2023, and PUBG Mobile with all participants being above the minimum age of 18, to ensure a fair and competitive environment. India will be participating in three of the four titles in the Open category – DOTA 2, eFootball 2023, and Street Fighter 6.
One of the country’s top sports and esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as their official communication partner.
Following the conclusion of the national qualifiers for DOTA 2, the qualifiers for eFootball 2023 and Street Fighter 6 will kick off on 9 September.
The NESC’23 will be played in a double-elimination format. The exciting action from the Championships will be streamed live on ESFI’s official YouTube and Facebook pages.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
