Mobile Legends to feature all-female teams in official esports league for the first time at MDL Indonesia

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) developer MOONTON Games announced on Wednesday (21 February) that they are introducing two female teams into the MLBB Development League (MDL) Indonesia for its upcoming ninth season.

While there have been plenty of all-female MLBB tournaments initiated by different organisations across regions in the past, this will be the first time a women's team will compete in an official MLBB esports league since the inception of the MDL five years ago.

This move was made in collaboration with Woman Star League (WSL), Indonesia’s biggest all-female MLBB tournament in Indonesia, and will grant spots in the MDL Indonesia to two of the strongest teams in the WSL.

These teams will be chosen from the winners of WSL Season 10 and the top-ranking team in the WSL Invitational 2024. If the WSL Season 10 Champion also secures the top rank in the WSL Invitational 2024, then the second-highest-ranking Indonesian team on the leaderboard will claim the final spot.

"MLBB esports tournaments including MDL, [MLBB Professional League], [Mid Season Cup], M Series and others are not male-only tournaments,” Azwin Nugraha, MOONTON esports Indonesia Public Relations Manager, said in a press release.

Azwin also emphasised that MLBB esports is not limited to anyone. He shared that the inclusion of all-female teams is “compatible with the MDL mission that carries the theme of esports for everyone and makes MDL a place to continue to grow.”

“Inclusivity is not only about gender equality, but it means that all audiences can participate and compete at different levels to realize their dreams," Azwin added.

Kresna Aurora, head of events at WSL, also expressed excitement to see the initiative underway. He went on to say that this partnership is a win-win for MLBB female players, who don't typically have many chances to hone their abilities or boost their competitive drive.

"This will be the first step for players ladies to be able to get new challenges and rise to the next level,” said Aurora.

Aurora also hopes that the entry WSL teams into MDL will also be a venue to showcase that “women can also compete equally with men in the same scene.”

Moonton had previously mounted all-female events in the past, including the MLBB Women’s Invitational 2022 and 2023 for Southeast Asia, where Indonesian team Bigetron Era won the title both times.

However, this move signals a shift in MLBB esports where women are given a chance to compete alongside men in the same league. And should things go well, we may even see female teams competing in MPL in the future.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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