Infinix Note 11 Series WEC: Cricket and Bollywood stars celebrate the winners in the prize distribution ceremony

Cricket legends Harbhajan Singh and Inzamam Ul Haq along with the Bollywood star, Manisha Koirala came together to laud the winners of the first tri-nation esports tournament, the Infinix Note 11 Series World Esports Cup (WEC). The event witnessed top esports talents from India, Pakistan, and Nepal fighting it out in a three-month-long highly competitive WEC. While the competition was fierce, the Championship saw a fitting ending with Harbhajan Singh, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Manisha Koirala coming together to draw curtains on the main event, which carried a total prize purse of Rs. 75 lakhs at the virtual awards ceremony.

The WEC tournament witnessed both professionals as well as raw talents from the three neighboring nations giving their all to grab the top spot and take home the largest portion of the Rs. 75 lakhs prize pool. Total Gaming, India’s top Free Fire team came out winners to lift their first Tri-Nation Cup title. In the end, Free Fire teams from India bagged the top four positions followed by Nepal and Pakistan in the fifth and sixth spot respectively.

Infinix Note 11 Series WEC Award Ceremony details

The winning team took home a cash prize of Rs. 35 lakhs, while the runner-up bagged Rs. 15 lakhs. Daksh Garg, aka Mafia from team Total Gaming got the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. In addition, Ajay Sharma, aka FozyAjay from Total Gaming, was awarded the Best IGL of the Championship. Team Khelmandap Brotherhood won the best underdog team while India’s Radhe Thakur was adjudged as the best Clutcher of the tournament. The fans voted Total Gaming as their favorite team. All the individual awardees received Rs. 50,000 as prize money.

“While we walked the path to create some amazing IPs in Esports with Free Fire Team, our goal at the same time has been to bring Gamers and established Sports athletes on the same platform so that the Indian Esports ecosystem can not only witness revolutionary opportunities but also legends of the game can motivate and inspire the gamers from across the sub-continent. It will also help Esports get its due as a New Age Sport in India and globally. I am really thankful for cricket legends Harbhajan Singh and Inzamam Ul Haq along with Bollywood star Manisha Koirala who came together to celebrate the winners at the virtual award ceremony of WEC”, said Mr. Vishwalok Nath, Director, WEC.

World Esports Cup (WEC): Cricketing legends celebrate esports and gaming

"For us, it's a new thing...we used to play for the sake of entertainment. But people are making a career out of it now. There are analysts for them, there are discussions around it and even coaching is provided to make them understand the nuances of the game. Not only the players but many people are now associating with it in order to be something. It is relatively easy for me to understand the demands and effort. I would suggest to these players that if you love esports then put in your hard work and become so strong that no one can beat you." said Harbhajan Singh, former Indian cricketer.

"The best part is everyone can participate in these games...like how for India and Pakistan matches we had the pressure to win, the same pressure was on these (esports) players...the traditional rivalry of India vs Pakistan matches like in cricket, hockey or kabaddi is high so the competition will be high, and it will continue in esports also," stated Inzamam Ul Haq, Pakistani professional cricket coach, and former Pakistan cricketer.

World Esports Cup was presented and sponsored by Infinix Smartphones. The Infinix Note 11 series features a 6.7’’ Full HD AMOLED display with MediaTek Helio G80 Series octa-core CPU and a 5000mAh battery for non-stop gaming sessions. India Today Gaming has also signed Bollywood star Tiger Shroff as the inimitable brand ambassador of the tournament to encourage players to showcase their skills and get recognized by the gaming industry.