Sashi part ways with chelleos two days after signing him as MistR joins BBL before Singapore Major cut-off

Two days after joining Sashi, Michael "chelleos" Hawkins has already left. The New Zealander announced the split this weekend and said he never signed a contract with the Danish organisation. In a related move, Mikkel "MistR" Thomsen, who left Sashi earlier this month, has joined Turkish team BBL. Both changes are part of the line-up shuffling as teams try to qualify for the PGL Major in Singapore.

A two-day spell at Sashi

Sashi signed chelleos from Rooster on Thursday 8 October to replace Frederik "acoR" Gyldstrand. He had spent four years at the Oceanic team with a 1.15 rating, mostly in regional competition, along with some ESL Pro League and ESL Challenger experience in 2023 and 2024.

On X, chelleos said the Sashi move did not work out for him. HLTV reported that acoR, who was benched to make room for him, has been practising with the team again.

Sashi's active line-up is now:

• Tynan "TjP" Purtell (Australia)
• Jordan "Hatz" Bajic (Australia)
• Rasmus "Zyphon" Nordfoss (Denmark)
• Anton "Anlelele" Huynh (Vietnam)
• Coach: Nicolai "HUNDEN" Petersen (Denmark)

Why Sashi are building around Asia

Sashi have shifted their Major plans to the Asian VRS region. They signed TjP and Hatz on short-term deals, and that move led Valve to change its rules to stop short-notice region switches. Valve told HLTV that teams which switched regions before the Singapore Major would be disqualified from that Major run unless they found a solution with Valve.

Signing chelleos was meant to give Sashi an Asian-region majority built on Oceanic players. Anlelele is a 25-year-old Vietnamese player, and according to HLTV he has a 1.04 rating over his last 68 maps. HLTV currently ranks Sashi 132nd in the world.

MistR's new start at BBL

The region switch is what pushed MistR out. When Sashi brought in TjP and Hatz, they benched the 22-year-old Dane and Casper "Cabbi" Jensen, and MistR later left by mutual agreement.

BBL have now signed him to replace Jonas "Boye" Østergaard, who goes to the bench. It is the Turkish organisation's first roster change since it entered Counter-Strike. MistR is due to make his debut on Tuesday 13 October against Team Liquid at an event in Stockholm. BBL are 38th in the global VRS after reaching the semi-finals at ROG JOURNEY Autumn.

BBL's line-up is IceBerg, salazar, leakz, NickyB and MistR, with Kenni "wezx" Holmberg as coach.

The clock is running

Teams have until 2 November to improve their Valve Regional Standings before Major invitations are decided. The PGL Major Singapore runs from 25 November to 13 December, and the playoffs are at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. For fans in Southeast Asia, Sashi's attempt to qualify through Asia, with a Vietnamese player in the line-up, is one of the more interesting stories to follow in the next three weeks.

Key takeaways

• Chelleos left Sashi two days after joining from Rooster and said he never signed a contract.
• Benched player acoR has been practising with Sashi again, according to HLTV.
• Sashi are trying to qualify through the Asian VRS region, with Vietnam's Anlelele in the line-up.
• MistR has joined BBL in place of Boye and debuts on 13 October against Team Liquid.
• The VRS cut-off for PGL Major Singapore invitations is 2 November.

FAQ

Why did chelleos leave Sashi so quickly? He did not give a detailed reason. He said only that the move did not work out and that he never signed a contract.

Which Southeast Asian player is on Sashi? Anton "Anlelele" Huynh, a 25-year-old who plays under the Vietnamese flag.

When is the deadline for PGL Major Singapore invitations? Invitations are based on the Valve Regional Standings at the 2 November cut-off. The Major starts on 25 November.

Sources: HLTV, PGL, esports.net