2022 LPL Spring Playoffs Postponed Due to COVID-19 Crisis
The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) announced on Twitter that the 2022 LPL Spring playoffs have been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 crisis as cases are on the rise once again in China. The playoffs recently began on 26th March and the top ten teams in the league were in it to fight for the coveted title and the trophy. With every other region featuring only six teams, LPL alone brings in the top ten teams for a chance to claim the spot for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). Initially, the games were slated to be held continuously from 26th March till 2nd April, and after a day’s break, it was supposed to resume on 3rd April once again.
Teams in 2022 LPL Spring Playoffs
The following are the teams that made it to the 2022 LPL Spring Playoffs:
Victory Five
Royal Never Give Up
Top Esports
JD Gaming
Weibo Gaming
LNG Esports
EDward Gaming
Bilibili Gaming
Rare Atom
Fun Plus Phoenix
With the first round of playoffs complete, and with the second round halfway done, Fun Plus Phoenix, Bilibili Gaming, and Rare Atom have all been knocked out of contention for that MSI spot.
LPL’s announcement on the postponement
The league announced the postponement of the games scheduled from 1st April. It wrote, “Due to the current Covid situation, to protect the health and safety of our players, coaches, team personnel, and staff, we have decided to postpone the original playoffs schedule until April 8th and onwards. The games will be played remotely.”
LPL English caster Joe “Munchables” Fenny said that the league was rescheduling the April games due to a lockdown in Shanghai. However, the games that were originally planned between 26th-31st March shall take place as per schedule.
As per the original schedule, the LPL Spring Finals was scheduled to take place on 10th April. With the unprecedented change in schedule, the date of the finals shall be decided later, stated Riot Games.
On 28th March, it was announced that there would be a city-wide lockdown in Shanghai in two stages over nine days, according to a report by the BBC. The lockdown is set to happen in two stages, added the report. The eastern side of the city will be under restrictions until 1st April and the western side from 1-5th April.
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