PUBG Mobile: PMCO Pakistan disqualify Team IDL due to cheating

PUBG MOBILE Club Open in the South Asian regions has so far been a wretched experience for fans as well as the organisers. The qualifiers, group stages and now even the semi-finals are plagued with allegations of players using hacks to gain an unfair advantage during the matches. This week, PMCO Pakistan was suspended for the third time after suspicious plays during the semi-finals stage were reported to the authorities. Team I Don't Lose (IDL) were subsequently disqualified from the competition for using some kind of cheat mechanism. 

Esports cheating: PMCO disqualifies 20 teams for hacking/cheating

PMCO 2020 Fall Split: India, Pakistan and South Asia were suspended for five days between August 16 and 20 over allegations of hacking. The organisers investigated the reports and announced the disqualification of a total of 19 teams - 11 from India and eight from Pakistan. 

Also Read | PMCO 2020: NINETEEN Teams Disqualified For Hacking; Group Stage To Resume On Friday

Haters Esports, Team F4, TXO, MCOPS Esports, DND Mahewians, NinjaX, Indian Official, Revenge Corvus, DTH Esports, WeBSiTE and Reckless Esports are the 11 teams disqualified from PMCO 2020: India. Meanwhile, Team Xtreme, 47 Esports, Team Ecstasyyy, The Hellfires, HotsshotSs, Team Hellfire, Pak Falcon and riskOP were disqualified from PMCO Pakistan. Team IDL becomes the 20th team to exit the tournament over charges of foul play. 

Team IDL, who entered the third suspension as the semi-finals leaders, were found guilty of means and hence were disqualified from the tournament. Each member of Team IDL also received a ban for violating the guidelines. It remains unclear if the ban is temporary or they have received a lifetime ban like the previous offenders. 

Also Read | PMCO Pakistan Postpone Semi-final After Repetitive, Damning Hacking Allegations

Meanwhile, the semi-finals in PMCO Pakistan resumed on Thursday, August 27. The 23 remaining teams, divided into three groups, will face each other in a round-robin format. Each team will play a total of 16 matches, which will determine their placings in the overall standings. The top 15 teams will advance to the Grand Finals. The winner of PMCO Spring Split 2020: Pakistan, Team FreeStyle, will directly enter the finals. 

The popularity of PUBG MOBILE as an esports title means several players use hacking to gain an advantage during matches. The game does have an anti-cheat mechanism to ensure an even playing field for all players, be it competitive or casual gaming. Last month, the organisers said they banned 531 teams from the qualifiers using their Ban-Pan system. 

Also Read | PMCO Fall Split India And South Asia Postponed After Multiple Teams Accused Of Cheating

Also Read | PMCO Fall Split 2020 India Semi-finals Day 5 Results, Overall Standings

(Image Credits: PUBG MOBILE Esports Twitter Handle)