Indian gaming and esports company Let’s Game Now has raised ₹30 crore in a funding round involving business leader Anand Mahindra and a UAE-based family office. Bestvantage Investments acted as an advisor to the transaction.
The company plans to use the capital to develop the Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL), its franchise-based esports property that brings competitive gaming together with sports, entertainment and technology.
Led by founder and CEO Santanu Basu, Let’s Game Now is looking to build a more structured ecosystem for competitive gaming in India, with city-linked teams, players, creators and commercial partners.
Santanu Basu’s Plan to Build a Franchise-Based Esports League
Founded in 2018, Let’s Game Now operates across gaming events, esports, brand activations and community building. ISGL is its effort to move beyond individual tournaments towards a season-based competition with a more established franchise structure.
The league’s inaugural season features teams associated with established sports organisations and city-based franchises. Its official platform lists competitions across titles including Chess, Cricket 26, Call of Duty Mobile and EA Sports FC 26.
Santanu Basu has positioned the league as a way to create more consistent opportunities for Indian players and bring professional structure to competitive gaming. The company also aims to connect fans, brands, teams and entertainment personalities through live events and digital content.
The latest investment gives the company additional capital to develop the league, although the investors’ individual contributions and the detailed terms of the round have not been disclosed.
Anand Mahindra’s Investment Adds Business and Sports Connections
Anand Mahindra’s participation brings a prominent business leader into the venture. His associations with organised sports include the Pro Kabaddi League and the Global Chess League, both of which use structured competition to build audiences around their respective sports.
ISGL has also attracted entertainment personalities, including Ranveer Singh and Abhishek Bachchan, according to the company’s announcement.
For Let’s Game Now, the opportunity is to combine gaming communities with the commercial model of established sports leagues. Franchise teams can provide a recurring identity for fans, while sponsors and media partners can support events, content and player development.
However, celebrity backing and investor interest do not guarantee a commercially sustainable league. Regular viewership, sponsor renewals, participation from competitive players and the ability to generate revenue beyond individual events will be important measures of progress.
India’s Gaming Market Offers Scale, but Monetisation Matters
India had approximately 591 million gamers in FY24, while its gaming market generated around $3.8 billion in revenue, according to Lumikai’s State of India Interactive Media and Gaming Report FY24. The report projected the market could reach $9.2 billion by FY29.
These figures cover the wider gaming market, not esports alone. They indicate the scale of India’s gaming audience but should not be treated as a direct estimate of ISGL’s addressable market.
Let’s Game Now says it has organised more than 2,000 events, served over 30 clients and reached audiences across 18 countries. The company also reports a community of more than 1.4 million members and a network of over 400 colleges across 80 cities.
The next step is to convert that reach into repeat engagement and commercial value. If ISGL can maintain a regular competition calendar, develop recognisable teams and build reliable sponsorship and media revenues, it could create a more durable platform for Indian esports.
For Basu and his team, the ₹30 crore round provides resources to pursue that ambition. The real test will be whether the league can turn investor confidence and gaming enthusiasm into a sustainable business.
