Yash Bhalawala has been appointed team manager of India’s esports contingent for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, marking his third major international assignment managing an Indian esports delegation.
The Vadodara-based esports professional will support India’s 15-member contingent in Japan as the country competes across League of Legends, Pokémon UNITE, eFootball and Puyo Puyo Champions. Esports competition at Aichi-Nagoya begins on September 23 and runs through October 2, within the wider Asian Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Bhalawala brings previous experience from two significant international events. He served as team manager for India’s esports contingent at the Commonwealth Esports Championship in Birmingham in 2022 before performing the role again at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, when esports made its debut as an official medal sport.
Yash Bhalawala returns as India’s esports team manager
According to a report by The Times of India, Bhalawala has once again been entrusted with supporting India’s esports athletes at the continental Games, giving the contingent an experienced team manager who has already worked in the same role at the previous Asian Games.
The appointment comes as India’s esports campaign in Japan gets underway. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports approved a 15-member contingent through its sanction order issued on August 22, clearing Indian athletes to participate in four of the esports titles being contested at Aichi-Nagoya.
TalkEsport’s complete guide to India’s Asian Games 2026 esports squad covers the 15 athletes, their respective games and the competition schedule as India begins its second Asian Games campaign with esports as an official medal discipline.
India will compete in four esports titles
India’s 15 athletes are spread across four games, with six players each forming the League of Legends and Pokémon UNITE squads, two athletes representing the country in eFootball and one competing in Puyo Puyo Champions.
Akshaj “Kat Bot” Shenoy captains India’s League of Legends roster, while Adnan Mohammed “Badshah” leads the Pokémon UNITE lineup. Chinmay Sahoo and Danial Shakeel Patel will represent India in eFootball, with Paritosh competing in Puyo Puyo Champions.
The Esports Federation of India confirmed the government’s approval of the 15 athletes in August, with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Indian Olympic Association and Sports Authority of India involved in supporting India’s participation at the Games.
For Bhalawala, managing a contingent spread across four different games means working across substantially different competitive formats and schedules. India’s esports programme begins with eFootball on September 23, while its League of Legends campaign extends into the final stages of the esports programme on October 2.
A third major assignment with Team India
Bhalawala’s previous assignments also span an important period in the development of competitive gaming as a recognised sporting discipline in India.
His first of these major international assignments came at the Commonwealth Esports Championship in Birmingham in 2022. He subsequently travelled with the Indian contingent to Hangzhou for the Asian Games in 2023, where esports awarded official Asian Games medals for the first time.
India competed in League of Legends, Dota 2, EA Sports FC and Street Fighter V at Hangzhou. The League of Legends squad produced India’s strongest result, reaching the quarterfinals before finishing tied for fifth.
The Aichi-Nagoya programme is considerably larger. Esports has expanded from seven titles at Hangzhou to 13 games forming 11 medal events in 2026, with competitions being staged at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname.
India is participating in only four of those events, but several members of the contingent arrive with substantial international experience. The League of Legends lineup includes players returning from India’s 2023 Asian Games campaign, while the country’s Pokémon UNITE and eFootball representatives have competed in international qualification and championship events during the build-up to Aichi-Nagoya.
India’s Asian Games esports campaign begins September 23
Bhalawala’s appointment comes just as the competitive portion of India’s campaign is about to begin. Esports events start on September 23, four days after the wider Asian Games officially opened in Japan.
India’s first esports action comes through eFootball, followed by Pokémon UNITE and Puyo Puyo Champions later in the programme, while League of Legends runs from September 29 through October 2.
For Bhalawala, Aichi-Nagoya therefore represents both a continuation and a considerably larger assignment. He was part of the Indian contingent when esports first awarded medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou; three years later, he returns as team manager as India sends 15 athletes into a programme that has grown to 11 medal events.
