Esports and gaming startup Let’s Game Now has raised Rs 30 crore in a funding round co-led by Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Bestvantage Investments, with participation from a UAE-based family office.
/indianstartupnews/media/media_files/2026/06/17/desktop-728-x-90-1-2026-06-17-17-20-35.png)
The startup plans to use the raised capital to speed up the development of the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL), the franchise-based esports league it launched earlier this year.
Founded in 2018 by Santanu Basu, Let’s Game Now runs esports and gaming tournaments that connect brands with gamers. It hosts online tournaments, organises large offline events and provides live broadcasting services across South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The Bengaluru-based startup claims a total reach of over 50 million, more than 2,000 events organised, over 30 clients served and a presence in 18 countries.
According to the startup, its community has over 1.4 million members, including about 387,900 YouTube subscribers, 193,300 Discord members and 40,000 Instagram followers, along with a database of over 100,000 gamers.
On campuses, Let’s Game Now said it is present in more than 400 colleges across over 80 cities, reaching more than 700,000 students through over 20 events and more than 30 club partnerships.
What the ISGL is
The ISGL was announced on 2 March 2026 as India’s first franchise-based national esports competition, with permanent team ownership and a season-based structure. Let’s Game Now organises the league.
It was co-founded by Basu, a professional gamer who has represented India at international tournaments, and Gautam Badalia, the former CEO of Route Mobile, who has spent over two decades in investment banking and capital markets.
The first edition was announced with eight franchises, all owned by existing sports teams: Indian Super League football clubs Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC and Inter Kashi, Pro Kabaddi League side Puneri Paltan, and Bangalore Bhargavas and Andhra Agneyas.
Players compete across titles including chess, EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Mobile and Cricket 26. The league uses city qualifiers, the first of which was held at NESCO in Mumbai, feeding into a national grand finale in Vizag. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan attended the launch event.
“India has scale, talent, and passion for gaming. What it now requires is structure,” Badalia said at the launch.
“For Indian players to compete globally, the domestic ecosystem must meet global standards,” Basu said.
The investment ties back to Mahindra’s record with sports leagues. He co-founded the Pro Kabaddi League in 2014 with television personality Charu Sharma through Mashal Sports. The league turned kabaddi into a professional sport with a national audience.
ISGL’s founders have pitched their league in similar terms. Badalia has said the aim is to do for esports what the Indian Premier League did for cricket, by bringing “structure, scale and credibility.”
