Indian gaming and esports company Let’s Game Now has raised ₹30 crore (roughly $3 million) in a new funding round co-led by Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, and India-based Bestvantage Investments, with participation from a UAE-based family office.
Bestvantage Investments was the exclusive adviser on the deal. The company has not disclosed its valuation, how much equity the investors received, how much each investor put in, or which stage of fundraising this round counts as.
Most of the money is meant to speed up work on the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL), a national esports competition run by Let’s Game Now. The league was formally announced in March 2026 and is described as India’s first esports league in which teams are permanently owned by franchise holders and play in seasons, much like traditional sports leagues.
The ISGL has eight founding teams, each linked to an established sports brand: Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Inter Kashi, Puneri Paltan, Bangalore Bhargavas and Andhra Agneyas. Several come from the Indian Super League, the country’s top football league, and one comes from the Pro Kabaddi League. The games in this league include chess, EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Mobile, FAU-G and Cricket 26.
Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, confirmed his investment via a social media post in which he compared the project to the Pro Kabaddi League, which he helped establish, and said he was excited to back a league whose action “isn’t on a mat. It’s on a screen.” He pointed to founder Santanu Basu’s background as one of India’s early professional esports players, who competed internationally in the FIFA football video game and finished third at an international tournament. Mahindra also said responsible competitive esports requires strategy, reflexes, teamwork and discipline and can open up career opportunities.
Let’s Game Now was founded in 2018 by Santanu Basu, a professional esports player who has represented India several times. He co-founded the ISGL with Gautam Badalia, the former CEO of Route Mobile, who has more than two decades of experience in investment banking and capital markets.
Before this round, Let’s Game Now had raised around $2 million in smaller early-stage and seed investments. Backers included Shuru-Up, which put in about ₹1.4 crore in late 2023, along with Auxano Capital, the Punjab Angels Network and several individual angel investors. Auxano later exited through a secondary transaction, in which it sold its stake to another party.
