Maelstorm predicted the winner of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023

Despite the unexpected level of play from Azure Ray, Gaimin Gladiators have the highest chances of becoming the champions of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.

This opinion was shared by Vladimir "Maelstorm" Kuzminov, a commentator and Dota 2 analyst, in a post on his Telegram.

"Well, what can I say, I was way off with my assessment of AR's strength; they turned out to be very tough guys. But when it comes to GG (after the first day), I hit it 100%. Average start in groups, and then progressively better play with each passing day. I think they are currently the tournament winners with a higher probability, and they will pull through this series, although it won't be the easiest"

Later, Maelstorm posted again, confirming his earlier prediction about the potential championship of Gaimin Gladiators in the grand final of the tournament.

"Congratulations to GG on winning the last tournament of the year! It was a pleasure to commentate on this grand final"

It's worth noting that GG did indeed win the match for the right to advance to the grand final against Azure Ray. It's possible that the team, which became the runner-up at The International 2023, could emerge as the winner of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.

You can follow the main events of the tournament in our article dedicated to the first major event after TI12.