In a shocking turn of events, Smiley, a BGMI player for iQOO Team Tamilas, was banned live on stream today for alleged cheating violations. The timing couldn’t be more problematic for the organization, which operates under the prestigious iQOO sponsorship banner as part of a major partnership initiative.

iQOO Team Tamilas Player Smiley Banned on Live Stream

The dramatic ban occurred during a live streaming session, with the official ban message reading: “The player **** has been banned in real-time for violating the User Agreement,” as first reported by an X user that goes by the name LetsGrowEsports.

While the ban message specifically cites a violation of the “User Agreement,” LetsGrowEsports alleges that this ban was due to cheating, though certainty remains elusive as various infractions can fall under the broad umbrella of user agreement violations. These can range from cheating and hacking to inappropriate conduct or account sharing.

What makes this situation particularly controversial is that Smiley had allegedly been facing hacking accusations for three months prior to his official signing with Team Tamilas. Despite these circulating allegations, the team proceeded to welcome him as their “4th face,” with Team Tamilas expressing confidence that “the performance will be way beyond what you ever imagined.”

This decision now appears to have backfired spectacularly, raising questions about the team’s due diligence process when recruiting new talent.

The timing is particularly awkward for smartphone brand iQOO. It recently announced a partnership with six Indian e-sports teams, including Team Tamilas. Under this arrangement, teams are branded as “iQOOxTeam_Name” across all tournaments, with iQOO’s logo prominently featured on team jerseys.

iQOO CEO Nipun Marya had emphasized the partnership’s focus on “co-creating with the community” and maintaining the highest standards of competitive gaming. The Smiley incident now threatens to undermine these values and could potentially damage the brand’s reputation.

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