A total of five Dota 2 teams have dropped out of the upcoming ESL One Mumbai 2019. Tournament organizers have assured fans that the tournament will continue as planned with the group stage being modified to accommodate the changes.
Even with such drastic change, tournament host Paul "Redeye" Chaloner remains to be excited and hyped up for ESL One Mumbai.
Originally there were a total of 12 teams expected to compete, with Ninjas in Pyjamas, Alliance, Gambit Esports, Mineski, Natus Vincere, The Pango, compLexity Gaming, Keen Gaming, Signify, TNC Predator, Chaos Esports Club, and J.Storm all confirmed for the tournament.
Three of the teams that had to drop out, Allinace, NiP, and Gambit, needed to do so in order to prioritize the OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019, which is scheduled right after ESL One Mumbai. According to organizers, there was willingness from the teams to play in both tournaments and multiple attempts were done to make that happen. The teams and the organizer "were ultimately not able to reach a solution which would have worked for everyone." It is expected that the three teams will prioritize the Minor as it not only offers DPC Points, but a chance at being part of the Major.
Chaos EC dropped out for a different reason. The team released a statement saying that while they consider ESL One Mumbai as an excellent chance "to compete in front of a passionate and underserved community, the dense Dota circuit has caught up with us." Because of this, team has decided to drop out of the tournament "in order to focus on practice, team chemistry, and avoiding burn out."
J.Storm is a surprise because according to various talks, the team may have "double-booked." The team has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter. So far, J.Storm has confirmed that it has indeed dropped out of the tournament. They will be replaced by Team Team.
Unfortunately we are one of the teams that had to drop out of ESL Mumbai.
— J.Storm (@Team_JStorm) April 10, 2019
Please follow us as we head to WSOE and try to take the throne this weekend! https://t.co/yQpAUj2y4V
This brings the total teams participating to eight. The tournament now has a Group Stage consisting of two best-of three elimination brackets, the result of which will determine the seeding for the next round. Since there are only eight teams, it means all teams will get a chance to play at least one match on the main stage. For India's Dota 2 fans, this is a benefit as they get to see local team Signify go up against other established Dota 2 teams.
For ESL One Mumbai, Group A will have Natus Vincere, TNC Predator, compLexity, and Team Team. Group B has Keen Gaming, Mineski, The Pango, and Signify.
ESL One Mumbai is scheduled for April 16 to April 21 with a prize pool of $300,000.
