Ninjas in Pyjamas parts ways with Saahil “UNiVeRse” Arora due to COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dota 2 esports tournaments have moved to regional, online leagues. The world is a bit upside down right now. Teammates are separated from each other due to lockdowns, with teams that have players from across the globe getting the worst of it. Tough decisions have to be made during this time, and that’s what Ninjas in Pyjamas had to do. NiP released Saahil “UNiVeRse” Arora from their Dota 2 squad.

Parting ways with UNiVeRse

Saahil “UNiVeRse” Arora is a TI champion, a player who can pull off a “six-million Dollar Echo Slam”. He is widely considered to be one of the best Dota 2 players of all time. If Toby “TobiWan” Dawson screaming “It’s a disaster!” is still stuck in your head, we won’t blame you.

Unfortunately, NiP had no choice in parting ways with UNiVeRse, as the COVID-19 pandemic is making practise and competing extremely difficult.

NiP explained that:

“The prevailing situation in competitive DotA forces us all to reevaluate how to run a team and requires a more regionalized approach for the foreseeable future. Saahil has been a loyal and solid player for NiP, and any team would be lucky to host his commitment to the grind. Good luck, Saahil. It’s been a pleasure to have you with us.”

At the time of writing, the NiP Dota 2 roster consists of:

• Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin
• Jason “TANNER” Weedon
• Rodrigo “Lelis” Santos
• Peter ‘PPD‘ Dager

Jonas Gundersen, COO of NiP, explained that:

“We’ll keep searching for the right lineup, with the right combination of hunger, skill and winner mentality, while further applying our own vision of performance culture to it. DotA2 is a game and community we believe a lot in, and we’re excited to see what the future brings, with all the potential changes coming.”

It remains to be seen who will replace UNiVeRse in the NiP roster. We hope to see the Dota 2 veteran find a new home soon.

Header image via ESL