This is actually some massive news for Indian esports rn . S8UL Esports players Gurashish Singh and Prateek Bhaunt are officially going to represent India at the Asian Games 2026 . And it's for fighting games,which is just amazing to see.
The duo will be competing in Japan,in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4 . Gurashish,who many know as Soul,will be playing Tekken 8 and Prateek,or B Haunt,will be in Street Fighter 6 category. This is huge for the FGC in India .
But this was not some random selection . Both players earned their spots by winning at the National Esports Championships 2026 (NESC 2026) . That was official qualifier event,so they are best in the country only.
And honestly,this is not small thing ah. Seeing our players on such big international stage is something else .
Gurashish Singh is not completely new to this level,he has represented India before at the BRICS Esports Tournament 2025 . And both players got a lot of support from their org S8UL,which is great to see . They are really helping build talent .
Gurashish even said,“Representing India at Asian Games is something every athlete dreams of.” He mentioned how S8UL's Fighting Games Talent Hunt Program helped him with coaching and tournaments . Prateek also said this is one of biggest achievements in his career.
Few key things to know here:
- Gurashish Singh (Tekken 8) and Prateek Bhaunt (Street Fighter 6) are the official Indian reps.
- They qualified by winning their respective titles at NESC 2026.
- The Asian Games will feature esports as full medal event with 11 different titles.
This whole thing feels like a big step up for gaming in our country . Esports was just a demonstration sport back in 2018 Asian Games,and now it's a proper medal event. That shows how much things have changed for long time .
And with competitive martial arts games like Tekken and Street Fighter getting this platform,it will bring lot of attention from fans .
Now all eyes will be on them in Japan . The pressure to perform must be so high… wonder how they are preparing for that kind of global stage…
