Asian Games 2023, esports: India’s Street Fighter V team - player profiles
Mayank Prajapati and Ayan Biswas will represent India at Hangzhou 2023.
Street Fighter V will be one of the seven esports events which will feature at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China, from September 23 to October 8.
India will be sending teams for four esports events – League of Legends, FIFA Online 4, Dota 2 and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition is an enhanced version of the popular multiplayer online fighting game Street Fighter V. It involves players controlling fighters using various attacks and special moves to defeat opponents.
The Champion Edition offers more characters, stages, costumes and refined gameplay mechanics (like V-Skills and V-Triggers) among others.
India’s two-member Street Fighter V: Champion Edition team comprises Mayank Prajapati and Ayan Biswas. The duo made the cut for Hangzhou 2023 by winning the National Esports Championships (NESC) organised by the Esports Federation of India.
There will be 15 nations competing in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition at the Asian Games 2023 esports event.
India's Street Fighter V team for Asian Games 2023 - player profiles
Mayank Prajapati aka MiKeYROG
Mayank Prajapati is a 32-year-old interior designer from Delhi. His typical day includes looking after his two-year-old son with his wife, working on his design projects and spending at least four to five hours a night practising his moves in Street Fighter V. Prajapati started playing the game in 2009 after he purchased it by chance and then fell in love with it.
Mayank Prajapati’s early achievements include winning the Best of the Best tournament for Nodwin in 2015 and finishing in the top 16 position in Intel Qualifiers for Southeast Asian Countries.
Prajapati, who goes by the name MiKeYROG in the gaming world, is preparing for Hangzhou 2023 by studying the moves of players he expects to encounter at the tournaments. “We don’t get to play against too many international players but I get my friends to challenge me with unexpected moves and strategies,” he says.
Achievements
- 1st in Dreamhack - Dec. 2019 (Delhi)
- 2nd in Dew Arena - May 2019 (Delhi)
- 4th in Dreamhack - Nov. 2018 (Mumbai)
- 4th in Proving Grounds 2018 (Bengaluru)
- 1st in Best of the Best 2015 Ultra Street Fighter-4 (Gurgaon)
- Top 16 - Intel World Open SEA Region - Jun. 21
- 1st in Esportz Premiere League Qualifier 2
- 3rd in Esportz Premiere League Finals
Ayan Biswas aka AYAN01
Ayan Biswas, also known as AYAN01, hails from Birnagar, a town in Nadia district of West Bengal, and has been gaming since he was young.
“Being unaware of the game’s mechanics when I started, I was losing almost all of my games online,” says Biswas. “So, I began watching skilled players and studying how they played the game.
“After that, I experimented with different tactics to create my own ideas and focused on improving my skills. I have to admit, it was tough to learn, and I even played the game for more than five hours a day at times,” the Indian gamer added.
In Indian esports, Ayan Biswas claimed the top spot in both the Dew Arena and Dreamhack Mumbai in 2018 followed by victory in the India Esports tournament in 2020. On the international stage, Biswas finished in the top-16 at the Intel World Open SEA Region tournament 2021.
Currently in the Super Diamond rank in-game, Biswas’ favourite character in Street Fighter V is Birdie followed by Bison and Akuma.
Achievements
- 2nd Dreamhack Delhi - Dec. 19
- 1st - Dew Arena - Oct. 18,
- 1st Dreamhack - Mumbai - Dec. 18
- 1st India Esports - Aug. 20
- Top 16 - Intel World Open SEA Region - Jun. 21