"Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi," which means “Where talent meets opportunity,” is proudly inscribed on the IPL trophy. In esports, we have Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS), which reflects the same spirit. In this open-for-all tournament, raw talent from across the country gets a chance to compete with the best. In the recently concluded BGIS 2025 held in Kolkata, one such rising star surprised everyone with his outstanding performance. SportsTiger sat down with Akshansh Lawrence, aka “Scaryyjod” from BotArmy Esports, who was crowned the Emerging Star of BGIS 2025, to talk about his journey, family support, LAN pressure, benefits from the prize pool increase, and more.

Akshansh “Scaryyjod” Lawrence’s experience at BGIS 2025, Family Support, Learnings, and More

Q: You came in as part of an underdog team. How did you handle the pressure of performing in such a big tournament?

Scaryyjod: At the start, yes, there was pressure. But this wasn’t my first LAN overall, even though it was my first official big LAN. I had already played in some decent offline events before, so I knew how to handle the pressure. I had learned how to stay calm and focused. That helped me bring out my best performance here.

Q: We saw your parents in the audience. How did they react to your performance and this whole journey?

Scaryyjod: Yes, all three of them came. In the beginning, when I was playing ESL (ESL Snapdragon Pro Series Season 6: BGMI), I didn’t even tell them I had qualified for a LAN. I informed them just a day or two before leaving. At first, they didn’t understand what I was doing, but I explained everything and showed them. Slowly, they started supporting me. They came to the ESL event too, and now I explained to them that BGIS is an official tournament organized by Krafton. When I told them about it, they realized how big of a tournament it is. The support from my family was just unbelievable—they came all three days, and today, I’ve become a BGIS 2025 Emerging Star. I’m really happy!

Q: BGIS 2025 had a prize pool increase from ₹2 crore to ₹3.2 crore. How do you think this benefits underdog teams like yours?

Scaryyjod: It’s a great step by Krafton. Even the teams that got eliminated in the semifinals will now get rewarded. Earlier, one mistake or one missed point could knock you out with nothing. But now, at least they get something for their hard work. It motivates underdogs like us to give it everything.

Q: What was your biggest learning from the BGIS 2025 journey?

Scaryyjod: The biggest thing I learned was how to handle pressure. BGIS is a big platform, and you're playing against top teams. Learning to stay in control and not panic in tense moments was a big takeaway for me.