Let’s Game Now has raised Rs 30 crore in a round led by Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Bestvantage Investments. The company runs the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL), and the money will go toward building that league. A UAE-based family office also joined the round.
Mahindra confirmed the investment himself in a post on X on October 28, comparing ISGL with the Pro Kabaddi League he helped create. Here is what the deal covers, what ISGL is and what Mahindra said about esports.
How much did Let’s Game Now raise and who invested?
Let’s Game Now raised Rs 30 crore. The round was co-led by Anand Mahindra and Bestvantage Investments, with an unnamed UAE-based family office also taking part.
| Detail | What is known |
|---|---|
| Amount | Rs 30 crore |
| Lead investors | Anand Mahindra and Bestvantage Investments |
| Other investor | A UAE-based family office (not named) |
| Use of funds | Speeding up development of the Indian Super Gaming League |
| Valuation, stake and round stage | Not disclosed |
According to the company’s press release, as cited by Entrackr, the funding will be used to accelerate the development of ISGL. The company has not disclosed its valuation or how much of it the new investors now own.
What did Anand Mahindra say about investing in esports?
Mahindra announced the deal in a post on X about backing the Indian Super Gaming League. He linked it to his work in traditional sport, opening with a note on Kabaddi’s growing popularity overseas:
“I’m now excited about backing another league that’s taking shape. But this time, the action isn’t on a mat. It’s on a screen!”
He addressed the usual worry about gaming head-on. “I know gaming raises concerns about screen time & distraction. But responsible, competitive esports is a different ball game. It demands strategy, reflexes, teamwork & discipline,” he wrote, adding that it creates opportunities beyond the players, “for coaches, analysts, creators, designers & producers.”
Mahindra also tied the bet to his other leagues. “Building Pro Kabaddi & the Global Chess League taught me that talent alone isn’t enough. Champions need an ecosystem of coaching, leagues & serious competition,” he said. “That’s what ISGL aims to build.”
He closed with a chess line aimed at the founders: “You’ve made your opening move. Now let’s see how far we can take this game…”
Who is Santanu Basu, the founder of Let’s Game Now?
Santanu Basu founded Let’s Game Now and co-founded ISGL with Gautam Badalia. In his post, Mahindra described Basu as “one of India’s pioneering professional esports players” who competed internationally in the FIFA football game and once finished third at an international tournament.
Badalia comes from finance. He is a former CEO of Route Mobile with more than two decades in investment banking and capital markets, according to an interview with the two founders published by The Bridge in March 2026.
Founded in 2018, according to Entrackr, Let’s Game Now runs online tournaments, large offline events and live broadcasts for brands across South Asia and Southeast Asia. The company says it has organised more than 2,000 events, works with over 30 clients and has a community of more than 1.4 million members.
What is the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL)?
ISGL is billed as India’s first franchise-based esports league. Instead of one-off tournaments, eight teams carry the names of established sports franchises, and players reach them through city qualifiers.
| ISGL detail | 2026 season |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Let’s Game Now |
| Teams | Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Inter Kashi, Puneri Paltan, Bangalore Bhargavas, Andhra Agneyas |
| Games | Chess, EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Mobile, FAU-G, Cricket 26 |
| Path to the league | City qualifiers, starting in Mumbai in March 2026 |
| Finale venue | Visakhapatnam, as named at the March 2026 launch |
Five of the teams are Indian Super League football clubs and Puneri Paltan plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. ISGL is also putting money into football: Chennaiyin FC signed ISGL as its front-of-shirt principal sponsor for the ISL 2026 season.
The league’s earlier 2025 edition was smaller, with three ISL clubs, Valorant and chess, and a Rs 1 crore prize pool, as announced in December 2024.
Why does Anand Mahindra’s backing matter for Indian esports?
Our read is that the name matters as much as the cheque. Rs 30 crore is a modest round by startup standards, but Mahindra has already helped build a franchise league around a traditional Indian sport in Pro Kabaddi. ISGL is trying a similar franchise model for gaming, and his backing gives it a reference point that brands and team owners will recognise.
It also lands at a useful time. India has notified new online gaming rules this year, as covered in our explainer on what changed under India’s 2026 online gaming rules, and the government has dropped mandatory registration for free-to-play games and esports. Esports is also on the Asian Games programme, where Team India’s esports selection ended up in the Delhi High Court.
Big investors have been circling Indian gaming for a while. Krafton’s chairman, for example, has announced $250 million more investment in India. What Mahindra adds is a sports-league builder’s track record, not just capital.
The open questions are the ones every franchise league faces: whether ISGL can fill a full season, keep franchise owners interested and draw viewers beyond launch events. The funding announcement did not include dates for ISGL’s next stage. We will update this article when Let’s Game Now shares them.
