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Last night, popular gaming organization GodLike Esports unveiled the addition of Arjun "Shadow" Mandhalkar to its BGMI esports roster. The announcement was made amidst a major controversy as the player's former team, Team Solo Mid (TSM), accused his new employers of player poaching.
Shadow is one of the most popular IGLs in the Battlegrounds Mobile India community. His leadership helped Team TSM finish as winners of the Nodwin Gaming x LOCO All Stars Invitationals. However, TSM's exclusion from the BMOC Round 4 highlighted that the side would not be a part of the BMPS 2022 Season 1.
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GodLike Esports also failed to qualify for the same event, leading them to play third-party tournaments. This was when Shadow began playing with the GodLike Esports lineup as "GodLtryout," sparking controversy.
TSM's allegations on GodLike Esports have left fans divided.
What is player poaching, and why is TSM accusing GodLike Esports of doing so with BGMI player Shadow?
Player poaching is a practice in sports (esports in particular) where a gamer is approached by another side without the consent of the former's management.
The lead of TSM India BGMI esports, TSM Armin, mentioned that the organization has loaned out Shadow to GodLike Esports, though he is still under contract. He stated that TSM tried communicating with GodLike but received no replies for weeks.
According to TSM, GodLike Esports is showing no signs of professionalism and is poaching its players, a serious threat to Indian esports.
Meanwhile, Shadow took to his Instagram handle to vent his frustration over the entire matter. He stated that he wanted to be a fighter in real life and challenge the boundaries that try to exploit players. He further mentioned that he was humiliated, frustrated, and harassed. Therefore, he was moving ahead with new ventures.
His exact words were:
Following, GodLike Esports' announcement, Dunc (Head of TSM India) emphasized the company's claim of player poaching. He took to Twitter to exclaim his shock at how "wild' the esports scenario is in India as a contracted player is announced as an addition to another organization.
He further affirmed that legal action will be taken to settle the matter.
It will be worth watching whether Shadow gets to play as the IGL of GodLike Esports in the upcoming BGMI Masters LAN event.
