Rajasthan Strikers triumph over Bengaluru Crushers in Upper Bracket Finals of Skyesports Valorant League 2021

After 49 days of success in the group stages of the Skyesports Valorant League 2021, the playoffs kicked off with the Upper Bracket Finals between Rajasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers.

The group stages of the Skyesports Valorant League 2021 ended with Rajasthan Strikers, Bengaluru Crushers, Hyderabad Nawabs, and Kolkata Tridents qualifying for the long-awaited playoffs.

As Rajasthan and Bengaluru ended their runs in the group stages in the top two positions in the points table, the Upper Bracket Finals set an arena for them to clash one more time.

The best-of-5 series featured an immense tug-of-war between the two teams as the Strikers triumphed over the Crushers with a 3-2 series victory.

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Skyesports Valorant League 2021 Upper Bracket Finals match recap

The five Valorant maps decided by the teams for this best-of-5 series were:

• Haven
• Split
• Ascent
• Icebox
• Bind

The maps chosen for the series between Rajasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers (Image via Skyesports Valorant League 2021)

Map 1: Haven

The first match of the Upper Bracket Finals was played on Haven. Bengaluru started strong on the defender’s side, securing an early 4-0 lead. Building on the momentum, they notched an 8-4 lead at the end of the first half.

Rajasthan picked up in the second half as they tied the score 9-9. From there, both teams traded rounds until, finally, the Strikers took the first Valorant game 11-13.

Scorecard of game 1 of the series between Rajasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers (Image via Skyesports Valorant League 2021)

Map 2: Split

The second Valorant game was played on Split as Bengaluru sought to equalize the series. The game went even as both teams fought hard to secure a victory.

Even though Rajasthan led most of the game, the scores were not very far apart, with both teams still in it at 11-9. As Rajasthan was up for the match point, Bengaluru managed to tie the score, taking the game into overtime.

After trading rounds in the first overtime, the Crushers finally pulled through to secure the game 13-15.

Scorecard of game 2 of the series between Rajasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers (Image via Skyesports Valorant League 2021)

Map 3: Ascent

As the Valorant series remained tied, both teams entered the third game in Ascent, looking to take the lead. Powering through both halves, Rajasthan was up for match point with a 7-12 scoreline.

But Bengaluru secured three consecutive rounds to keep the game competitive. Finally, Rajasthan notched another round and the game with a 10-13 score.

Scorecard of game 3 of the series between Rajasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers (Image via Skyesports Valorant League 2021)

Map 4: Icebox

The fourth Valorant game was held on Icebox. After such nail-biting matches, Bengaluru breathed easy as they finally secured a less competitive game to once again tie the series 2-2 with a 7-13 victory.

Scorecard of game 4 of the series between Rjasthan Strikers and Bengaluru Crushers (Image via Skyesports Valorant League 2021)

Map 5: Bind

The deciding game of the series was as dominating as it could get between the two juggernauts of the tournament as Rajasthan took away the Upper Bracket Finals with a 13-4 win.