NIP Benches Brollan: A Bold Roster Change
In a surprising turn of events, Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) have officially benched Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin, marking a significant change in their CS2 roster. NIP announced this decision on October 28, 2023. They temporarily replaced Brollan, who had been a part of the team for over a year and a half, with Max "maxster" Jansson in recent competitions. The organization is set to keep maxster as a stand-in until they finalize the signing of a new in-game leader, as hinted by General Manager Björn "THREAT" Pers in a recent interview.
Brollan's Journey with NIP
Brollan joined NIP in March 2022, transitioning from Fnatic and hailed as Sweden's top player at the time. Despite an impressive start, he struggled to consistently meet the high expectations associated with his star status. Brollan had reservations about the transition to an English-speaking lineup, which marked his journey with NIP and coincided with various roster changes, even during his Fnatic days. Throughout his time with NIP, Brollan maintained a middling 1.00 rating across 12 Big Event appearances.
Brollan at PGL Major Antwerp 2021 for NIPImage Source: João Ferreira / PGL
NIP's Ongoing Roster Changes
Brollan's benching is the second major roster move NIP has made within a week. NIP removed Hampus "hampus" Poser from the active roster earlier due to issues with leadership and role clashes. Patrick "es3tag" Hansen took his place, returning from the bench after nearly a year. Notably, es3tag has also assumed temporary in-game leadership duties until NIP unveils their new signing.
Current NIP Roster
As of now, NIP's roster consists of:
Fredrik "REZ" Sterner
Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov
Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke
Patrick "es3tag" Hansen
Max "maxster" Jansson as the stand-in
Daniel "djL" Narancic serving as the coach.
What's Next for NIP?
The future of NIP seems to be on a transformative path. With an imminent signing of a new in-game leader being their top priority. As the organization navigates these changes, Counter Strike fans around the world will be eagerly waiting to see how the new roster performs and whether these bold decisions lead NIP to success.
Featured Image Source: Ninjas in Pyjamas on X (Formerly Twitter)
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