YEKINDAR Explains Why VP Replaced SANJI With FL1T Right Before the CS:GO Major

The entry fragger talks about the last minute swap!

Aditya Singh Rawat
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<div class="paragraphs"><p>YEKINDAR Explains Why VP Replaced SANJI With FL1T</p></div>
YEKINDAR Explains Why VP Replaced SANJI With FL1T

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Highlights
YEKINDAR explains why Virtus.pro took the decision to replace SANJI with FL1T right before the PGL Major Stockholm 2021.
He indicated that Virtus.pro's performance at ESL Pro League Season 14 and BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021 was the main reason.
YEKINDAR praises FL1T by calling him an insanely skilled individual who is really smart and communicative.

Virtus.pro (VP) has already made its way through to the next round of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, going '3-1' in the Challengers Stage. Their qualifying match against Team Spirit was an edge-of-the-seat thriller as it went down to an overtime finish on the last map of the series.

The team achieved this despite a last-minute roster shuffle which witnessed the departure of Sanjar "SANJI" Kuliev. This roster change sparked of a series of discussions with the community. He was temporarily replaced by Russian rifler Evgeny "FL1T" Lebedev. Virtus.pro now along with FL1T on the roster has secured themselves a slot in the Legends Stage.

Talking about this roster move, the aggressive entry fragger Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis explained from his side why Virtus.pro went forward with such a crucial decision just days before the CS:GO Major was scheduled to kick off.

YEKINDAR explains the reason behind VP's decision behind the last-minute roster shuffle

Virtus.pro looked in great shape competing at the Challengers Stage despite a new member joining the team just days before the PGL Major Stockholm 2021. They dropped just one series against FaZe Clan, but fought hard to win all their other matches to deliver a strong '3-1' performance.

Virtus.pro qualify for Legends Stage with FL1T

Talking about why SANJI was dropped from the roster, YEKINDAR, in a recent interview with Fragbite, explained that the results obtained by the team in the second half of the year were concerning and prompted this move.

We didn't make it out of the group stage in ESL Pro League Season 14, we lost the crucial BLAST qualifier (BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021) against Liquid. Those two things were the main reason behind replacing SANJI on the roster.
Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis - Interview with Fragbite

As for VP's new temporary member FL1T who has been contributing well with the rifle, YEKINDAR praised him by saying that he is an insanely skilled individual who is really smart and communicative.

He is not a silent guy who just does what he has been told. He actually wants more, constantly wants to improve, accepts help from his teammates, and overall a great player who individually is insanely skilled.
Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis - Interview with Fragbite

FL1T has registered an overall HLTV rating of 0.99 across the seven maps that Virtus.pro has played so far. This might not seem impressive at first glance, but considering that he joined this lineup right before the biggest CS:GO tournament to take place after a span of two years, FL1T most certainly has held his own in the tournament.


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Aditya is the in-house CS:GO writer at AFK Gaming. While his understanding of the esports space is not restricted by geographical borders, his current focus lies in the Asian region. Understands and follows almost all major esport titles.