KuroKy misses OGA Dota PIT Season 3 with injury, return unsure

Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi will not be returning to Team Nigma’s starting roster quite yet.

The team announced on Twitter that its captain remains out of commission due to ongoing medical issues. As a result, coach Roman "rmN-" Paley will continue filling in the No. 5 spot for the OGA Dota PIT Season 3 event.

KuroKy has been out of commission for Nigma since August due to a lingering arm injury. He was unable to play in OGA Dota PIT Season 2 or Omega League. rmN- competed in KuroKy’s stead in both events and performed well, helping Nigma win Dota PIT and place third in Omega League.

The competition is set to be fierce in OGA Dota PIT Season 3, as it brings together all of Europe’s best teams. This includes Team Secret, which has beaten Nigma in five of their last six showdowns.

KuroKy’s injury details, return date remain a mystery

While KuroKy has been a steady presence for his team dating back to 2015, he hasn’t competed in a Dota 2 tournament since June 2020. While this would normally be chalked up to player fatigue or other personal issues, the troubles facing KuroKy were severe enough that they saw him miss out on Omega League, the biggest Dota 2 event of the year.

No details have been given on what KuroKy is dealing with, but the fact that he is set to be out for more than three months is cause for concern. Though the sedentary nature of esports doesn’t often lead to injuries, they aren’t unheard of and can be severe.

Possibly the greatest example is that in Dota 2 of Clinton “Fear” Loomis. Playing for Evil Geniuses at the time, he was forced out of The International 2014 due to a wrist injury. Though he remains active today, he was made to take a year off from competition due to lingering issues with the injury. Doctors were never able to properly diagnose what was physically troubling him, though he remains active to this day after implementing a warm-up regimen for his wrists and switching to a different type of mouse.

It is unclear whether KuroKy is facing similar issues, but fans of the veteran captain have real cause for concern.