KRAFTON India’s Associate Director of Esports, Karan Pathak, believes Indian BGMI teams have the firepower to compete internationally but still need to improve their strategies. Speaking to 91mobiles after the Battlegrounds Mobile India International Cup (BMIC) 2026, Pathak discussed the gap between Indian and international teams and what the tournament revealed about the country's esports scene.
Strategy remains a challenge for Indian teams
BMIC 2026 brought together teams from India, South Korea and Japan, giving Indian players an opportunity to compete against international opponents. South Korean teams dominated the final standings, with Nongshim RedForce, Kiwoom DRX and Dplus KIA securing the top three positions.
India's Gladiators Esports finished fourth with 144 points, followed by Outrage Esports in fifth with 125 points and K9 Esports in sixth with 116 points. Three Indian teams therefore finished inside the top six.
Despite these performances, Pathak believes strategy remains an area where Indian teams need improvement.
"If you talk about gunpower, we are there 100%, but strategies we lack a bit," Pathak explained.
He pointed out that international teams often rely on calculated pushes, predictive grenade usage and clearly defined squad roles. Indian teams, meanwhile, tend to depend more on raw momentum rather than structured tactical approaches.
Technical infrastructure and tournament production
Pathak also discussed the technical setup behind BMIC 2026, particularly the server arrangements for an international LAN competition.
He clarified that the tournament did not use a dedicated LAN server. Instead, it operated on a dedicated esports partition of the global server.
He also acknowledged that India's technical infrastructure still has room to improve, especially when compared with international standards. However, he highlighted the progress made in recent years and expressed confidence that the country could reach comparable standards with further development.
Despite last-minute restrictions affecting the event's stage arrangements, Pathak praised the production team for successfully delivering the tournament broadcasts.
Building a bigger esports experience in India
Beyond competitive results, Pathak spoke about the spectator experience at BMIC 2026. The event featured a live performance by Alan Walker during its opening ceremony and introduced paid tickets to manage attendance at the 3,000-capacity Dome at SVP Indoor Stadium in Mumbai.
He explained that KRAFTON wanted to prioritise the quality of the live experience rather than simply increasing the number of spectators.
Pathak also reflected on his journey into esports, which included previous work in event marketing and experiences with Tencent Games before joining KRAFTON India.
As BMIC 2026 concluded, his message about Indian BGMI was clear: the country already has the mechanical talent to compete at the highest level, but improving strategic depth will be essential for challenging the world's strongest teams.