Rowell Pillay replaces Neisha Khan as captain of the female Protea MLBB esports team.

Rowell 'Ketsuka' Pillay has been appointed as captain of MSSA's female Protea Team for the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Esports Team.

Protea Esports is the South African esports team representing South Africa in various international competitions. They are managed by Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) and have recently competed in the BRICS Esports Champs in Moscow and the IESF's 16th World Championships in Riyadh - WEC24, Saudi Arabia, to name but a couple. The team has seen huge success in Mobile Legends Bang Bang, winning test matches against Madagascar, Mauritius, and Ghana.  

Here's a more detailed look:

Management:

Protea Esports is managed by Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA). 

Recent Achievements:

The male Protea Team for MLBB recently participated in IESF's African Regional Championships - AEC25, where the team had a  clean sweep against all their opponents, being Namibia, Congo, and Madagascar. https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2025/07/south-africa-conquers-all-in-mlbb.html

Mobile Legends Bang Bang Success:

The all-woman Protea Esports team won Mobile Legends Bang Bang test matches against Madagascar, Mauritius, and Ghana. 

Upcoming Match:

On July 25, 2025, the Protea Esports team will face Namibia in a crucial Mobile Legends Bang Bang match to determine which country will represent Southern Africa at the IESF World Esports Championships – WEC25. This match will be streamed live on Waylander Gaming -  https://www.youtube.com/@waylander_gaming - at 21:00. 

Team Captain:

Rowell Pillay will captain the Protea Esports team in the upcoming match against Namibia.

Rowell Pillay, also known by her gamer handle “Ketsuka,” is a member of the all-women Protea Esports Team representing South Africa in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) 

Rowell earned the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP) during South Africa’s second match against Mauritius in the MLBB test series held on May 1, 2025, part of a successful campaign that also included a clean sweep of Madagascar and Ghana.

Her performance helped lead the team to dominant wins, highlighting her as a standout contributor on the roster.

The full team is:

Name	Club	Nick	Province
Rowell Pillay (Capt.)	Mavericks	Ketsuka	KZN
Neisha Ann Khan	Mavericks	Rose	Western Cape
Ranya Sujee	Mavericks	Aewynne	Gauteng
Rashmika Nanakan	Mavericks	DimpledDruid	Gauteng
Shanel Arunachellam	Mavericks	Isla	Gauteng

Additional reading:

• 2025 Calendar of Events
• AEC24 - Champions of all of Africa - Protea Female Counter Strike 2 Esports Team wins AEC24
• AEC24 - Forged in battle - a Counter Strike story...
• Affiliation: Private Clubs
• Affiliation - Procedure to be followed by school clubs affiliating for the 2025 season.
• Awards - 2024 Management Board Awards
• Blog - MSSA's blog page is ranked 9th in South Africa!
• Board - Calling all volunteers.
• BRICS - Breaking the glass ceiling at 2025 BRICS Esports Championships - 31 May 2025
• BRICS - Final day of BRICS Esports Championships - 1 June 2025
• BRICS - Luay finishes in fifth place in his group.
• BRICS - MSSA National Team Trials for 2025 BRICS Esports Championships for TEKKEN 8 - 13 April 2025
• BRICS - Protea Luay Khan faces toughest matches in his life.
• BRICS - ReSF to host BRICS Esports Championship 2025 in Tekken - 28 May 2025 to 3 June 2025.
• BRICS - Sydney 'KYōi' Wood wins both hearts and minds.
• BRICS - UNIFIR3 to stream 2025 BRICS Esports Championships on 31 May - 1 June 2025.
• BRICS - With cat-like tread...MSSA's Protea Esports Team for Tekken 8 advances on the 2025 BRICS Esports Championships in Moscow.
• Colours 2024 - Almost  half the awards are awarded to female gamers.
• Colours 2024 - Athletes who have earned Senior Provincial Colours in 2024
• Events - 6th WESTERN CAPE Online Championships - 22 February 2025
• Events - 24th WESTERN CAPE Championships - 31 May 2025
• Events - Last chance to qualify for BRICS Esports Championships - 14th Provincial Online Championships to be held on 5 April 2025.
• Events - Northern Cape Online Esports Provincial Championships - 25 January 2025.
• Events - Reminder: 5th S A Schools Online National Championships - 28 June 2025
• Events - Types of esports events run by MSSA.
• Fees: MSSA advises of its affiliation and registration fees for the 2024/2025 season.
• Hosting official Regional Championships.
• IESF - AEC - AFRICAN REGIONAL PLAYOFFS START TODAY FOR MSSA
• IESF - AEC - Female Protea Team for the Counter Strike 2 esports title to do battle against Namibia - AEC25
• IESF - AEC - Namibia crumbles!
• IESF - AEC - Rowell Pillay replaces Neisha Khan as captain of the female Protea MLBB esports team.
• IESF - AEC - South Africa conquers all in MLBB...
• IESF - AEC - South Africa granted victory with Namibia being disqualified!
• IESF - AEC - South Africa to battle both Namibia and Congo on 22 July 2025.
• IESF - AEC - The goddess Nike smiles on - again!
• IESF - AEC - The Titans meet - South Africa vs Madagascar - 23 July 2023
• IESF - AEC - Victoria cum audacia! - South Africa wins!
• IESF - AEC - Victory over Madagascar - now on to Namibia!
• IESF - AEC -  WAYLANDER stream of IESF's Southern African Regional Championships
• IESF -  136 Nations Registered for IESF 2025 World Esports Championships.
  
• IESF - IESF announces proposed game titles for 17th World Esports Championships to be held in 2025.
• IESF - IESF Official Statement on WEC24 Prize Pool Allocation
• IESF - MSSA CONFIRMS ITS ENTRY TO WEC25
• IESF - Official Game Titles for 2025 IESF WEC25
• IESF - SA Proteas to take on four African countries in MLBB - 12 April 2025
• IESF - SA Team Trials
• International events - After defeating Madagascar, SA's Female Proteas to take on Mauritius and Ghana..
• International events - FHE eFootball World Tournament 2025 - Sign Up Now!
• International events - ReSF to host BRICS Esports Championship 2025 in Tekken
• International events - SOUTH AFRICA vs IVORY COAST in PUBGM title
• International events - TEST MATCH - SOUTH AFRICA vs MAURITIUS in MLBB title
• International events - Rose is no wilting bloom - the result of SA vs Mauritius.
• International events - SA Female Protea to take on Mauritius and Madagascar in MLBB - 1 May 2025
• International events - SA Female Team emerges triumphant!
• International events - SA Proteas march on to fight Mauritius in MLBB on 13 April 2025 at 15H00
• International events - SA Proteas to take on Congo in MLBB on 13 April 2025 at 13H30
• International events - SA trounces Botswana in MLBB
• Legal - Privacy. Who is looking after the children?
• National Team Trials: Ensuring every athlete achieves their dreams.
• National Team Trials - MSSA events that count for National Team Trials for 17th IESF World Championships (WEC25)
• Results - Northern Cape Online Esports Provincial Championships held on 25 January 2025.
• Team Trials: To qualify for National Team Trials to represent South Africa.
• Titles - Esports titles selected for all MSSA's Premier Provincial and National Championships - 2025.
• Titles -  Esports titles selected for all MSSA's 2025 High School and Primary School Championships and leagues.
• Titles - Esports titles selected for all MSSA's 2025 Student Championships.
• Transfers: Transfer season - 1 November 2024 to 28 February 2025
• WADA - WADA's 2025 Prohibited List and revised TDSSA

Other news: 

• Chess - From Georgia with Love - 2018 FIDE Chess Olympiad 
  
• Chess - World Chess Olympiad in Batumi 2018 -n a book by Dr. Lyndon Boauh
• Western Cape - Table tennis rulebook now available in isiXhosa

Other African News:

• Benin - Assemblée Générale Constitutive : la Fédération Béninoise des Sports Électroniques (FBSE) mis sous les fonts baptismaux
• Botswana - Botswana has an esports Federation