"I’m glad to represent this force of the future.”
Tiger Shroff has named as the brand ambassador for India’s first franchise-based Esports league, the Esports Premier League (ESPL).
ESPL 2021 is sponsored by Infinix smartphone and will get underway on June 16, 2021.
The finale will take place on August 29, 2021.
The Esports tournament will see more than 700 online matches and a total prize pool of Rs. 25 Lakh (£24,000).
While it has seen an increase in popularity during the lockdown, the ESPL is the first of its kind to partner with Bollywood.
On being named brand ambassador, Tiger Shroff said:
“I am really excited to collaborate with Esports Premier League.
“This opens a tremendous opportunity to recognise the growing talent in Esports in India.
“As the world’s first franchise-based model in Esports, ESPL will surely help in putting India first on the global map.
“Esports fans and gamers are shaping the future of entertainment and sports. And I’m glad to represent this force of the future.”
As most of the Indian population are young people, Tiger Shroff will connect Esports to the mainstream, given his passion for sports and mixed martial arts.
Talking about the partnership, ESPL Director Vishwalok Nath said:
“One of the major goals for ESPL has been to reach out to every millennial and gamer in the country and our purpose of having Tiger Shroff onboard has been to create a much deeper connection and grow the gaming community.
“We hope this association will also further our initiative to intensify of taking Esports to the next level in India.”
Hundreds of thousands of teams from all over the country registered to enter the ESPL.
But Hyderabad Hydras is the first team to enter the ESPL.
Other city-based teams include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Matches will be streamed on OTT platform Disney+Hotstar alongside the official YouTube and Facebook channels of India Today and Aaj Tak.
As there will be over 700 online matches, more than 300 hours of gaming content will be streamed.
Popular battle royale game Garena Free Fire will be the main game during the ESPL.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural season will be held virtually over a period of two and a half months.
The total prize pool with Rs. 25 Lakh, with the winning team taking home Rs. 12 Lakh (£11,500).
Second and third-placed teams will be awarded Rs. 6 Lakh (£5,800) and Rs. 3 Lakh (£2,900), respectively.
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