KRAFTON India has announced the Rising Star Invitational, the country’s first BGMI tournament built completely around graduates of its Esports Rising Stars Programme. Scheduled from July 3 to 5, the three-day event will feature 16 Rising Stars each captaining a five-member squad, competing for a prize pool of INR 5 lakh. The tournament will stream live on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel, giving some of the country’s most promising BGMI players a dedicated national stage.
Rising Star Invitational: Key Details at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Tournament Name | Rising Star Invitational |
| Organizer | KRAFTON India Esports |
| Dates | July 3–5, 2026 |
| Format | 16 squads, each captained by a Rising Star |
| Squad Size | 5 members per team |
| Prize Pool | INR 5 lakh |
| Maps Played | Erangel, Miramar, Rondo |
| Broadcast | KRAFTON India Esports YouTube Channel |
| Associated Program | KRAFTON India Esports Rising Stars Programme (2026 Cohort 2) |
What Is the Rising Stars Programme?
The Rising Star Invitational serves as the competitive centrepiece of the Rising Stars Programme, which KRAFTON India expanded in 2026 with the launch of its second cohort. The initiative is described as the company’s most structured investment in grassroots esports talent to date, built to identify, develop, and accelerate India’s next generation of professional BGMI players through dedicated coaching, competitive exposure, and national visibility.
Karan Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at KRAFTON India, framed the tournament as a direct test of readiness for the program’s participants:
“The Rising Stars Programme was built to answer a single question: what does India’s next generation of professional BGMI talent look like? This invitational is where we find out. Putting Rising Stars in the captain’s seat against some of the country’s best professionals is the most meaningful competitive exposure we can give them and it reflects our long-term commitment to building a pipeline from grassroots to the global stage.”
Meet the 16 Team Captains and Their Squads
Each Rising Star leads a squad named after their in-game identity, blending emerging talent with established names from the Indian BGMI scene:
| Captain | Squad Name |
| Hector | Hector Warriors |
| Hydro | Hydro Hydrogen |
| Knight | Knight Nightmare |
| Levi | Levi’s Shoorveers |
| JatinOG | Jatin Hunters |
| Jasleen | Jasleen Titans |
| Kratos | Krazy Kratos |
| Justy | Justy’s Jesters |
| Wanted | Most Wanted |
| Evil | Evil Squad |
| Mernox | Mernox Reapers |
| SirZalai | Tahchapa Zalai |
| Shiraj | Shiraj Sena |
| NoobPari | Noobpari Clashers |
| SaumRaj | Solidarity SaumRaj |
| Sam | Super Sam |
Beyond the captains themselves, the rosters include several of India’s most recognized professional players Jonathan, RonY, BEASTT, Jelly, Omega, MORTY, Reaper, KALYUG, Kyros, Gravity, and Fury all competing under the leadership of a Rising Star captain rather than in their usual roles.
Format Explained
The structure flips the usual dynamic of Indian BGMI esports: instead of emerging players joining established rosters as support pieces, they lead them. This gives Rising Stars the chance to compete alongside and against the very players they have been training to match, making the invitational one of the most direct readiness checks these athletes have faced on an official platform.
Tournament Format and Schedule
The Rising Star Invitational runs across three maps Erangel, Miramar, and Rondo over three consecutive days of back-to-back matches. Points accumulate across the tournament, and the squad with the highest total at the end of the event will be crowned the inaugural champion, taking home the full INR 5 lakh prize pool.
How to watch Rising Star Invitational live free
All matches will be broadcast live across all three days on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel, allowing fans across the country to follow the competition in real time.
Also Read: Top 10 Highest Earning BGMI Esports Players In 2026
