5 Dota 2 teams to look forward to in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 (Image via ESL One and Sportskeeda)

With the conclusion of the Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 qualifiers, a total of twelve teams, including the invited ones, are set to feature in the tournament. Team Spirit's withdrawal from the tournament due to fatigue increased the winning chances of other teams.

The following teams will take part in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023:

Gaimin Gladiators
Team Liquid
LGD Gaming
Azure Ray
Team Secret
BetBoom Team
Team Falcons
Invictus Gaming
TSM
Blacklist International
9Pandas
Wawitas Sagazes

Some of the participating teams have star-studded rosters and stand out as the contenders to clinch the prize pool this year. Additionally, this is the first tournament to be played after the post-TI patch. Scroll ahead to learn about the five teams who may win the ESL competition.

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Gaimin Gladiators and four other Dota 2 teams are the top contenders for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023

1) Gaimin Gladiators

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Gaimin Gladiators, with a talented roster and consistent performance, managed to reach the TI12 Grand Final from the Lower Bracket. It would be surprising if they get knocked out of the tournament before reaching the Grand Final.

Before their TI12 campaign, Gladiators added Lima Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 19 and 20, and Bali Major 2023 titles to their trophy case. Hence, GG is among the favorites to win the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.

Gaimin Gladiators roster

Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov
Quinn "Quinn" Callahan
Marcus "Ace" Hoelgaard
Erik "tOfu" Engel
Melchior "Seleri " Hillenkamp

Heroes to look out for: Pangolier, Juggernaut, and Doom

2) Team Liquid

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Team Liquid started eyeing the top offlaners in Europe after Ludwig "Zai" Wåhlberg's announcement of taking a break from competitive gaming. They replaced him with Neta "33" Shapira, who won TI11 with Tundra Esports.

Liquid ended up as runners in the last four Majors and, with the new addition, is still a formidable team in the tournament. Zai's absence may affect the Liquid cohesion, but 33 is a world-class offlaner and the perfect replacement for the Swede.

Team Liquid roster

Michael "miCKe" Vu
Michał "Nisha" Jankowski
Neta "33" Shapira
Samuel "Boxi" Svahn
Aydin "Insania" Sarkohi

Heroes to look out for: Storm Spirit, Juggernaut, Primal Beast

3) Team Falcons

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Team Falcons is a newly formed Saudi Arabian team with a star-studded roster. Spearheaded by Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, this Dota 2 team recently added a new midlane prodigy to their ranks.

Falcons defeated PSG Quest 3-1 and advanced to Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. With one of the best soft support players and two TI champions, Falcons are all geared to fight for the title.

Team Falcons roster

Oliver "skiter" Lepko
Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak
Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf
Andreas "Cr1t" Nielsen
Wu "Sneyking" Jingjun

Heroes to look out for: Spectre, Shadow Shaman, and Timbersaw

4) Invictus Gaming

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Invictus Gaming is renowned for being one of the top Chinese Dota 2 teams. Their post-TI transfer brought in notable talents to their roster. Their talk-of-the-town transfer was Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang, who joined them from rivals LGD Gaming.

Invictus qualified for Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 after wiping Team Zero 3-0. Their new roster is definitely a strong force to reckon with.

Invictus Gaming roster

Du "Monet" Peng
Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang
Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen
Ye "BoBoka" Zhibiao
Yap Jian "xNova" Wei

Heroes to look out for: Faceless Void, Primal Beast, Ember Spirit

5) Team Secret

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Team Secret's post-TI roster shuffle saw them reuniting with two of its former players - MidOne and BOOM. They defeated the likes of Alliance, OG, and Entity to advance into ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.

Their new midlaner MidOne stood out during the qualifiers as he created valuable space for the carry to farm. If Remco "Crystallis" Arets performs well and mounts comebacks, Team Secret has the possibility of winning Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.