ESL has announced that the second edition of the India Premiership will have over $43,000 up for grabs for Counter-Strike alone.

After a successful first edition, which came to an end in December, ESL India Premiership is back with three games - CS:GO, Dota 2 and Clash Royale, and a combined $100,000 prize pool, up from last year's $64,000 prize fund.

For the 2017 edition, which will run from April 26 to December 17, ESL has implemented a three-season structure, with offline finals in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. The $43,000 allocated for Counter-Strike will be distributed equally between the seasons.



ESL India Premiership will feature three divisions

A three-tiered structure is now in place, with a Master, a Challenger and a Starter divisions. The first two will feature eight teams each, while the Starter division will act as an open qualifier, with no team limit.

There will be promotions and relegations across the India Premiership divisions to give all teams a chance to reach the highest tier, in which players will earn money for every victory.

"The Premiership is currently the best competitive gaming tournament in the country," said Akshat Rathee, Chief Gaming Officer at NODWIN Gaming, ESL's partner in the India Premiership. "It provides Indian gamers and enthusiasts to experience the global esports phenomena locally. "The 2016 Premiership featured year-long tournaments, which took place both online as well as offline and featured competitions for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2 and Clash Royale games."

Indian teams can register for the league by heading over to the competition's official website. Fans will be able to watch the matches live through the ESL India Premiership's Youtube channel.