logo
Menu
CS2
CS2
CyberSport News
Posted 2024-09-20
718

Counter-Strike Prodigy Forsaken Free To Compete After Ban Expired

Muhammad Shahrayar Sheikh is a news writer at cyber-sport.io who covers the latest news in the Counter-Strike 2 sphere. Amongst the many games he grew up playing, Counter-Strike 1.6 was...
5 min read
On September 20th, 2024, the Indian Counter-Strike prodigy, Nikhil ‘forsaken’ Kumawat, reached the expiration date of his 5-year-old ban under the new New RMR Eligibility Guidelines published by the developers back in 2021. For many fans, that means he can compete in Valve-sponsored events now. What better time than now to get back into competitive Counter-Strike with CS2 blooming? However, given his track record, getting into a top organization might be next to impossible.
Tweet Share on Facebook Copy link Send via Email
22 Bet

The circumstances pertaining to forsaken’s ban are so serious that practically anyone acquainted with the Counter-Strike esports scene knows about the OpTic India debacle that unfolded back in 2018’s Asian Championship of CS:GO. For those unaware, it all started when OpTic Gaming came to India to invest in the talent there, putting together a roster of Indian players after months of trialling, where forsaken was deemed the star player.

Counter-Strike Prodigy Forsaken Free To Compete After Ban Expired

Background: Qualifying for the championship

OpTic was right on the money with the roster as they began to dominate every regional tournament to take place since with forsaken at the forefront. At the time, Siddarth Nayyar, esports entrepreneur at AFK gaming said: "Forsaken was one of those hidden gems. One of those players that came with an unnatural amount of skills.” However, at the same time, allegations of cheating were being levied against the star player. Even Antidote, one of forsaken’s teammates at the time, commented on the suspicious plays the star had made from time to time: “Other people were saying he was fishy, but we didn't have any concrete evidence to kick him out of the team.” 


 

Regardless, the team blew past the Hyderabad qualifiers, asserted dominance in the eXTREMELANDS 2018 tournament and earned themselves a spot for the Asian Championship of CS:GO in Shangai, China. It truly was a magnificent feat at the time, as the roster would now go on to represent their country on the big stage and showcase their mechanical prowess. “It was really exciting because you could just see their eyes light up. They were like: 'Oh my gosh, we're in a new place and we're about to just showcase what we're made out of'," Jesal Parekh, former global development director at OpTic India, said at the time.


 

The cheating scandal

The team first faced off against Malaysia, who they were able to beat, albeit by a very small margin. It is during this match likely that forsaken realized just how much he still had to improve in order to win on a big stage like this, motivating him to compensate for his shortcomings in an illegitimate manner. 


 

Hence, going into the next match, forsaken had installed cheats but was caught halfway through the match, resulting in disqualification. The scandal was so serious it caused OpTic to withdraw from the region and disband a team, all because of what forsaken had singlehandedly done. 


 

For those wondering if forsaken will compete in CS2 now that his ban has expired, his words from an interview to AFK Gaming months after the scandal might serve as the most probable answer: “I was confident in my decisions, I was confident in understanding of the game etc but was never confident in my aim so to compensate for that lack of confidence in aim I chose the wrong path. I would probably delete the day when I first played Counterstrike. Nothing good has happened to me since the day I started playing this game.”

Tweet Share on Facebook Copy link Send via Email
Muhammad Shahrayar Sheikh

More articles

Best Cases to Open in CS2 in 2025
Opening CS2 cases will forever be one of the things I will always enjoy about the game. It’s simply something I will never get tired of, and I’m sure a ton of others feel the same way. Want to open a case but don’t know which one you should pick? Here are the best cases to open in CS2 for [year].
March 04, 2025
How to Win Real Money Online with CS2 Slots (Guide [year])
How to Win Real Money Online with CS2 Slots (Guide 2025)
May 12, 2025
Gamdom Gift Card: How does Gamdom Gift Card work?
Gamdom Gift Card: How does Gamdom Gift Card work?
April 11, 2025
How to Get Access to CS2 in 2025
CS2 came as an update for CS: GO, but it was also an entirely new game in the Counter-Strike series. It brought a variety of new features while keeping the essence of the game and all the elements that made fans fall in love with the series. But CS2 also made people switch from the old version of the game to a new one. Moreover, those who never had access to CS: GO can only download the new CS2 game from Steam. So, how to get CS2 access in 2024? Furthermore, is it available for everyone? We’ll get into all of that and more in the paragraphs below.
October 29, 2024
Is CSGORoll Legit and Safe in 2025?

CSGORoll is the most popular CS2 gambling site in the industry. A lot of players want to figure out is CSGORoll legit in [year]? To put it shortly, it is. CSGORoll offers extensive security features and a dedicated fairness system.

June 20, 2025
How to Get Better at CS2 in [year]
How to Get Better at CS2 in 2025
November 21, 2024
Is CSGORoll Legit and Safe in [year]?
Is CSGORoll Legit and Safe in 2025?
June 20, 2025
How to Get Better at CS2 in [year]
How to Get Better at CS2 in 2025
November 21, 2024