KRAFTON India Adds Nine Creators to Rising Stars Programme 2026 Cohort 2
- Sagar Mankar
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
KRAFTON India Esports has announced the second cohort of its Rising Stars Programme 2026, bringing nine new creators into its structured talent development initiative.
The programme received over 2,500 registrations from gaming creators across the country.
The nine creators selected for Cohort 2 are:
Chirag Dua (ESWanted)
Tanmay Sipahiya (K9xKnighT)
Rohit Saxena (NebulaKRATOS)
Jatin Kumar (4TRxJatinOG)
Aarush Sharma (InfinixTRHydrO)
Jasleen Kaur (LExJasleen)
Sohail Shaikh (Hector)
Akshay Kumar (WELTwJusty06)
Mohit Kumavat (iQOORGExLevi11)
The announcement was made in Bengaluru on April 21, 2026.
What the Programme Actually Offers
Creators joining Cohort 2 get access to a tiered model built around measurable growth. According to KRAFTON India, participants will receive:
In-game resources including room cards
Strategic guidance to improve gameplay and content quality
Regular tournament exposure throughout the year
A pathway to move into the Elite Rising Stars tier based on performance
The progression element is what makes this stand out. A lot of creator programmes in esports promise big things on day one and quietly fade out by the end of the month. A merit-based, performance-driven model is harder to build, but it tends to last longer and deliver more value to the creators involved.
Karan Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at KRAFTON India, summed it up well. "As the ecosystem grows, creators need more than moments of visibility. They need consistent opportunities to compete, improve, and stay relevant. With Rising Stars 2026, we have built a system that combines structured support with regular competitive exposure. Cohort 2 is an important part of that pipeline, allowing more creators to enter the system and earn their way forward through performance."
How the Programme Has Performed So Far
KRAFTON India launched the Rising Stars Programme back in January 2025 with seven participants, including NOOBPARI, SHIRAJ, ZALAIKAM, SAUMRAJ, MERNOX, SAM, and EVIL.
The results from the first batch have been solid. As per reports by KRAFTON India, participants from Cohort 1 created more than 1,260 pieces of content and completed 648 live streams. Together, they gained over 218,000 followers across platforms. Three alumni from the first batch even reached the quarterfinals of BGIS 2026, which is a meaningful competitive benchmark.
With Cohort 2 now added, the total number of Rising Stars across both cohorts has reached 16.
