Bihar leads charge as e-sports makes historic Khelo India Youth Games debut as demonstration event

A great platform to scout talent for World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 2027, say organisers; all-round praise for SAI, government of Bihar

Khel Today Bureau

Patna: The e-sports industry in India received a significant push with its inclusion as a demonstration sport in the seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) held in Bihar. Making a strong impression, the host state secured multiple top-three finishes across various events, underlining its emergence as a force in this rapidly growing domain.

A total of eight states participated in the demonstration event, competing in disciplines such as BGMI, Chess, Street Fighter 6, and eFootball. The event reflected India’s accelerating journey toward recognising e-sports as a legitimate skill-based sport at par with traditional Olympic disciplines.

Among all categories, BGMI continues to hold the top spot as the most popular e-sport in India. Sixteen teams—two from each state—contested for top finishes at KIYG 2025. Bihar’s A and B teams claimed first and third places, respectively, while Tamil Nadu’s A team was sandwiched between the two home sides.

In the e-Football console event, Tamil Nadu’s Arnav Rajiv Parikh emerged victorious, followed by Bihar’s Tanav Raj in second and Maharashtra’s Ronit Sagar Satam in third. Chess saw local talents dominate once again, with Rupesh B Ramchandra and Amrit Raunak finishing first and second, and Maharashtra’s Mohit Kamlesh Thanvi completing the podium.

In Street Fighter 6, Telangana’s Mandalapu Sreejesh claimed the top spot. He was trailed by Maharashtra’s Parth Swapnil Pawar in second and Bihar’s Rohit Kumar in third.

The e-Football mobile category culminated in a thrilling final between Nagaland’s Lamgouhao Kipgen and Arunachal Pradesh’s Jipin Gongo, with the title heading to the Northeast. Maharashtra’s Parth Varekar secured third place.

Supported by the Bihar state government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Federation of Electronic Sports Associations of India (FEAI) formed the backbone of the event, which followed a nationwide qualification tournament on April 25.

Praising the collaborative effort, FEAI founder Vaibhav Dange said, “It’s a great initiative and I must thank and give a shoutout to Sports Authority of India and Government of Bihar, its sports department and the entire team for including e-sports as part of the Khelo India movement, which FEAI has been successfully doing for the last few years.”

Dange added, “This Khelo India initiative has helped India take competitive sports to the school and college level. It not only enhances the capabilities of the youth, but also serves as a great platform to scout talent. Therefore, the inclusion of e-sports is a very welcome move.”

Looking ahead, FEAI co-founder Abhishek Issar sees the debut of e-sports in Bihar as a crucial step toward global competition: “With the e-sports World Cup scheduled in 2027, the KIYG platform could help us identify more talents to prepare for the global showpiece event in Saudi Arabia.”

For More on Khelo India Youth Games, click: https://youth.kheloindia.gov.in/

For Medal Tally of KIYG 2025, click: https://youth.kheloindia.gov.in/medal-tally

ABOUT KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES

Khelo India Youth Games are part of the Khelo India program that was launched on October 14, 2017. Khelo India aims to achieve the twin objective of mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports. The program has contributed immensely to India’s sporting success with several Khelo India athletes representing the nation at global events, including the Olympics and the Asian Games. Bihar is hosting the seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games from May 4-15 in five different cities of the state and Delhi. KIYG 2025 will feature 27 sports and for the first time, esports has been included as a demonstration sport.

(eom)