Meet India’s League of Legends Team Heading to Aichi-Nagoya for Asian Games 2026

India will have a six-member League of Legends team competing at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as esports continues to establish its place within the Asian Games programme.

The Indian lineup features a combination of players who represented the country at the previous Asian Games and two newcomers to the national setup. All six players compete for Indian esports organisation S8UL Esports and will represent India from September 29 to October 2.

India has been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions South Korea, runners-up Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, setting up a challenging group-stage campaign.

Leading the Indian team is 24-year-old Akshaj Shenoy, who will captain the side from the Mid role under his in-game identity, Kat Bot. Akshaj, who is based in Kochi, also captained India's League of Legends team at the previous Asian Games. His esports career has developed alongside his academic and professional commitments. He is currently preparing for an MBA while helping with his father's sanitaryware business.

His ability to balance multiple commitments was evident even before his first Asian Games appearance. He completed a triple-degree course in Economics, Sociology and Industrial Relations while competing professionally and coordinating practice sessions with teammates based across India. He also scored 95% in his Class 12 board examinations in 2020.

Aakash Shandilya, known as Infi, will take up the Jungle role. Based in Noida, Aakash currently works as a cloud engineering intern and has competitive experience across both League of Legends and VALORANT. The ADC position belongs to Mihir Ranjan, known as Lotus. A Delhi-based IIM Ahmedabad graduate, Mihir was the only ADC from South Asia to reach the Grandmaster tier before the previous Asian Games.

Sanindhya Malik, or Deadcorporal, will play Top. Based in Mauritius, Sanindhya works with Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL), a Government of India company, and has established himself as one of South Asia's leading Top players.

The two newcomers are Ahmed Shahid, known as Nero, and Rahul Bisht, known as Bob. Both will operate in the Support role. Ahmed is a Chemical Engineering graduate from Aligarh, while Rahul, 29, is a product designer and entrepreneur based in Bengaluru.

Four Players Return From Hangzhou

Four members of the current squad Akshaj, Aakash, Mihir and Sanindhya were part of India's League of Legends team at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, where India finished fifth.

The experience from Hangzhou provides the returning players with familiarity with the demands of competing under the national flag at a major multi-sport event. Ahmed and Rahul, meanwhile, will make their Asian Games debuts.

Akshaj said the experience from Hangzhou was an important first step for Indian esports and that the current group has since had more opportunities to play together and understand each other's strengths and styles. He also acknowledged the challenge presented by India's Group B opponents, particularly South Korea and Chinese Taipei.

Following the previous Asian Games, Akshaj, Aakash and Mihir continued competing together, with Ahmed subsequently joining the core setup. The roster joined S8UL in June 2025, going on to win Legends Ascend South Asia 2025 and finish fifth in the LCP 2026 Promotion Wildcard Playoffs. For the Asian Games qualification campaign, Rahul and Sanindhya joined the setup for the National Esports Championships 2026, India's national qualification pathway for Aichi-Nagoya.

India dominated the NESC 2026 before defeating Jordan, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan in the regional qualifiers to finish top of the standings and progress to the Split Stage. The team then competed against Vietnam, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Despite suffering defeats during that phase, India did enough to secure its place at the Asian Games.

What Is League of Legends?

League of Legends is a 5v5 team-based strategy game in which players control unique characters known as champions. The objective is to work together to destroy the opposing team's Nexus, the central structure inside its base. Each team has five primary roles Top, Jungle, Mid, ADC and Support with each player responsible for a different function within the team's overall strategy.

Players earn gold during matches and use it to purchase items that strengthen their champions. As a result, coordination, tactical planning, decision-making and communication are fundamental to success.

India's League of Legends campaign begins with the group stage on September 29 and 30. The semifinals are scheduled for October 1, followed by the gold-medal match on October 2.

With South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in the group, India will face a demanding route to the knockout stages. For S8UL, the Asian Games campaign represents another opportunity to showcase Indian esports talent on an international platform.

The organisation has fielded Indian players across several titles at major global events, including Chess, Free Fire MAX, Honor of Kings and Trackmania at the Esports World Cup 2026.

Now, the spotlight turns to League of Legends. Led by a returning captain in Akshaj Shenoy and featuring a mix of established players and Asian Games debutants, India's six-member squad will enter Aichi-Nagoya aiming to build on its previous fifth-place finish and make a deeper run this time.

The challenge is significant. But after years of playing together, competing internationally and building their understanding as a team, India’s League of Legends contingent now has its next opportunity on one of Asia's biggest sporting stages.