The Ampverse DMI-owned College Rivals Season 3 Grand Finale, powered by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, took place on 22 March 2026, in Mumbai.
The tournament featured 14 student gamers who competed across popular titles like BGMI, EA FC, and Valorant, for a prize pool of Rs 50 lakhs. Overall, the season’s participants came from over 85 colleges across 20 cities.
Parthiv Reddy from Hyderabad won the Valorant crown, while Sovereign Esports (Indian gaming organisation) secured the BGMI Squad title that was introduced for the first time. Kolkata’s Akshat Yadav emerged as BGMI Solo champion and Kerala’s Rohit Abraham won EAFC title.
Among the standout finalists were Manish, a B.Com student from Mamasaheb Mohol College in Pune, who funded his esports journey while working as a delivery rider; 22-year-old Md Armaan from Lal Bahadur Shastri College in Varanasi, who relocated across states in search of reliable internet and entered the finale as a strong contender after securing a seventh-place finish at the 2025 Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS); and Kush Bid from Navi Mumbai, who competed in the BGMI Squad category.
“College Rivals is built to give young esports athletes a taste of true competitive gaming,” said Ampverse DMI CEO Charlie Bailie.
Ampverse DMI business head Sumedha Mahajan shared, “Athletes like Manish and Armaan are a testament to the fact that determination and hard work can forge opportunities out of the most challenging circumstances.”
The event featured a cosplay competition, with prizes awarded to the top three participants. Adding a unique twist, a special fourth-place title was decided by the community, with the top 25 shortlisted cosplayers voting among themselves via Google Forms to crown the final winner.
The event also celebrated the vibrant pop-culture surrounding the championship through interactive esports zones and a cosplay championship, where Shraavya secured the first position for her portrayal of 2B from Nier Automata. Her act was followed by Malhar Gaikwad as Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima and Esha Joshi as Ladybug from Miraculous Ladybug, while Janhavi Singh won the People’s Choice Award for her take on Okarun from Dan Da Dan.
Additionally, the finale included exclusive giveaways, meet-and-greets with esports professionals, and live performances by artists Chaar Diwaari, Arpit Bala, Som, and Outstation.
