Team Apex Gaming (TAG), the organisation founded by Jonathan “Jonathan” Amaral, is in final discussions to sign a new Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) roster, according to a report shared by Indian esports insiders on 14 November. The Chennai Esports Global Championship (CEGC) 2026 is expected to be the current line-up’s last tournament, with an official announcement to follow once the event is over. TAG itself has not yet commented on the report. If it is confirmed, the change would come only days after one of the organisation’s founders said the current players were signed for a year.
That founder was Shreeman Legend, who dismissed rumours of a disbandment on his stream on 12 November. He said the line-up was “signed for one year” and that he had heard nothing directly suggesting a change. He also said TAG would play CEGC 2026 with the same players, which the new report does not dispute, since it places any change after the tournament. Neither TAG nor Shreeman has explained how a new signing would fit with the one-year deal he described.
TAG has reportedly approached line-ups led by Omega, Saumraj and Punkk
A second report, citing sources, went further and named the players involved. It said TAG was in advanced talks with the line-up led by in-game leader (IGL) Omega, and that the discussions were going well, although Omega had yet to give his final confirmation. Offers had also gone to other line-ups, including Saumraj’s, while a new roster built around Punkk was described as a last-resort option. The same report said the exit of TAG’s current line-up, known as Team Jelly after its IGL, was confirmed for after CEGC 2026.
All three IGLs are playing at CEGC 2026 with their own teams. Omega captains Team Outrage, which finished first in Group Stage 1 with 278 points and went straight to the Upper Bracket. Omega’s main four at the event also includes slug, knightū and ninjaboi, so a deal for the whole line-up would bring in the Group Stage 1 leaders. Saumraj leads K9 Esports and Punkk captains VR1 Esports, and both teams finished outside the top eight. None of the three players or their teams has commented on the reports, and TalkEsport has not independently confirmed any of the talks.
TAG’s current line-up is still fighting for an Upper Bracket place at CEGC 2026
TAG’s current roster is led by IGL Jellly, with Jonathan, Hydrooo and Harsh05 in the main four and KioLmao as a substitute, according to the rosters registered for CEGC 2026. The team finished 15th in Group Stage 1 with 194 points, which sent it into Group Stage 2 instead of straight to the Upper Bracket. Group Stage 2 runs until 16 November, and only its top eight teams join the Upper Bracket, while the rest drop into the Lower Bracket. Partway through the second stage, TAG was sitting close to that top-eight line.
Either way, the current line-up’s run could last for weeks. The Lower Bracket is played on 21 and 22 November, followed by a Last Chance Qualifier from 27 to 29 November. The 16-team Grand Finals take place at a LAN in Chennai from 11 to 13 December. The tournament carries a ₹75 lakh prize pool. If TAG reaches the finals and the announcement waits for the end of the event, the new roster may not be confirmed until mid-December.
Jonathan has expanded TAG quickly since leaving GodLike in April
Jonathan left GodLike Esports in April and launched TAG the same month, with Shreeman among its founding members. This month alone, the organisation has signed EA FC Mobile players DeMYSTeRIO and HaloZeus and grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, its first chess player. It also fields a team in the PUBG India Challenge 2026. Jonathan, whose YouTube channel has more than 8 million subscribers, still plays in the BGMI line-up as an assaulter.
The roster reports also arrive in the middle of Jonathan’s public dispute with GodLike owner Chetan “Kronten” Chandgude. In early November, Kronten made a series of claims about Jonathan’s time at GodLike, which Jonathan called “completely wrong” in his first spoken response on 12 November. A new roster would be TAG’s biggest BGMI move since its launch. Team Jelly plays its final Group Stage 2 matches on 16 November.
