The pride of Malaysian esports continues their quest for global dominance. Selangor Red Giants OG Esports (SRG) marched into the Grand Finals of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Malaysia Season 15 yesterday (1 June) after overcoming AERO Esports (AERO) and Homebois (HB) during the first phase of the Playoffs. The defending champions, undefeated this season, are now one step from a historic hat-trick of consecutive MPL Malaysia titles, being the only team with back-to-back domestic titles.
SRG also claimed Malaysia's first of two tickets to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) at the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC), the biggest international Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament this year. MSC at EWC 25 will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next month, offering a life changing USD 3,000,000 (~MYR 12,693,000) prize pool. SRG won MSC 2024 at the inaugural EWC, becoming the first Malaysian team to secure the top honours at a major MLBB esports tournament.
When asked about the qualities his team needs to succeed at MSC at EWC 25, SRG Coach, Michael "Arcadia" Bocado, said: "I think it's about being resilient, because going up on the international stage, every region has their best representatives. You really have to test your limit, not just when it comes to the mechanics, but mentally as well. Look at what we experienced last MSC [in the Grand Finals], where we had to go to a Game 7. So you really need to be prepared for whatever situations happen on the international stage."
Fikri Rizal Mahruddin, Malaysia Esports Lead at MOONTON Games, said: "SRG have once again proven with their clinical performances why they are the benchmark of excellence and Malaysia’s most popular esports team. Their recent partnership with OG Esports blends SRG's deep sports infrastructure with OG’s international esports pedigree. The resulting high-performance environment has clearly taken their world-class players and coaching staff to the next level. There is every reason to believe that they will mount a historic title defence of not just MPL Malaysia, but of the MSC at EWC 25."
SRG join Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH) and ONIC Philippines (ONIC) on the MSC at EWC 25 Main Stage, with TLPH defeating ONIC 4-3 yesterday to win MPL Philippines Season 15. Ultra Legends secured a spot on the Main Stage after crushing Team Falcons (FLCN) 4-1 in the MPL MENA Season 7 Grand Finals, with FLCN progressing to the Wild Card. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), Team Spirit swept Virtus.pro 4-0 in the Grand Finals of MLBB Continental Championships (MCC) Season 5 to earn a Main Stage berth; Virtus.pro qualified to the Wild Card.
An Upper Bracket Finals To Remember!
HB carried their impressive Regular Season performance into the Playoffs by overcoming DX Soul (DXS) 3-2 in the Upper Bracket Semi Finals before falling 2-3 to SRG in the Upper Bracket Finals. While they may have lost to SRG, the Season 12 champions will be heartened at having stretched the MSC title holders to a full Best-Of-Five (BO5) series.
SRG started the series the stronger of the two teams to rack up a 2-0 advantage. SRG's Gold Laner, John "Innocent" Vincent Banal played a critical role with his overwhelming damage in teamfights, first on the hero Moskov, then on Wanwan. With SRG at match point and on the cusp of MSC qualification, HB shifted strategies to systematically target SRG's danger man, taking him out before key moments, such as contests for neutral objectives. This strategy deservedly earned HB back-to-back victories.
With the score tied at 2-2, HB drafted a Minsitthar for Adam "Melqt" Hamidun in the Gold Lane to challenge Innocent's Harith. This was promptly countered by SRG through their pick of Odette in the Mid Lane; Odette has an ultimate whose overwhelming area of effect damage nullifies Minsitthar's ultimate, which requires the player's team to group up around him when used to be effective. Both Minsitthar and Odette are extremely off-meta picks and saw debuts for both heroes this season. As a result, Innocent was able to quickly outfarm his Melqt and seize victory for SRG.
Who Joins The Defending Champions In Riyadh?
Taking place on 14 and 15 June, the second phase of the MPL Malaysia Season 15 Playoffs will determine which of the remaining three teams will join SRG in Riyadh. HB, AERO, and DXS each have one life left, having dropped to the Lower Bracket after each having lost once in the Playoffs.
AERO and DXS will kick off Phase 2 with the Lower Bracket Semi Finals at 11:00 AM GMT+8 on 14 June. All eyes will be on AERO's Muhammad "Hazle" Praba Balakosa, the 18-year-old Indonesian hotshot on loan from RRQ Hoshi. The Jungler had previously scoffed at the quality of MPL Malaysia before his Upper Bracket Semi Finals clash against SRG yesterday, but was forced to eat humble pie after their loss.
The winner will advance to the Lower Bracket Finals, where HB awaits. Played on 14 June at 4:00 PM GMT+8, the result will determine which team earns a spot in the Grand Finals of MPL Malaysia Season 15 and the privilege of flying Malaysia's flag at the MSC at EWC 25 in Riyadh. The Grand Finals will be played on 15 June at 2:30 PM GMT+8.
Fikri added: "MPL Malaysia is more competitive than ever before, with the top four teams in particular at a whole new level this season. Even though we can only have two representatives for Malaysia in Riyadh this year, I am proud to see our ecosystem as a whole grow as teams and brands invest to capture value. After all, we are one of the world's fastest-growing spectator sports, with plenty of upside still for the taking!"
Malaysia's Leaders & Sporting Icons To Send Off MSC at EWC 25 Representatives
Before the MPL Malaysia Season 15 Grand Finals, Malaysia's leaders and national sporting icons will send off Malaysia representatives for the MSC at EWC 25 together.
The national leaders in attendance will include Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development, YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Zahid bin Hamidi; and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Adam Adli. The Deputy Prime Minister will participate in a closed-door meeting with MOONTON Games executives, deliver a public address, and host a press conference.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports have been fervent supporters of MLBB Esports. Both have personally attended the domestic league across multiple seasons, as well as the M6 World Championship in Malaysia last December, MLBB's flagship international tournament.
