SumaiL steps in for Falcons at DreamLeague S25 as Malr1ne sorts visa issues

Dota 2 superstar Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan will make an appearance at DreamLeague Season 25 next week following the sudden withdrawal of Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak from Team Falcons.

It won't be a permanent move, however. The Russian mid laner is struggling to sort out a visa for ESL One Raleigh, a "key event" for Falcons as the season enters the mid-year and the lead-in to this year's The International.

Falcons revealed the stand-in via an announcement on Feb. 19, stating SumaiL would remain with the team throughout the rest of DreamLeague S25, which resumes on Friday.

Malr1ne will be off to sort out a U.S. visa ahead of ESL One Raleigh in early April. The visa process could not be left too late for the Russian mid laner, with Falcons stating they "appreciate Malr1ne's commitment to ensuring everything is set for the upcoming tournament."

"Malr1ne will be stepping away to finalize his U.S. visa process ahead of ESL One Raleigh, a key event for our team," the org said in the Feb. 19 statement. It's the second time SumaiL has stood in for Malr1ne at Falcons; the 26-year-old subbed for the Russian at ESL One Birmingham 2024. That time, it was only temporary, with Malr1ne joining the lineup for the latter stages of Falcons' run to the trophy.

SumaiL is free to join Falcons for DreamLeague as Nigma Galaxy did not qualify. Chimera Esports, a largely-CIS squad, took down Nigma 3-1 in the Middle East & Southwest Asia qualifier.

DreamLeague S25's second group stage kicks off this Friday. It should be SumaiL and the Dota pro scene's first look at patch 7.38, which arrived on Feb. 18 and includes mass changes to the MOBA as we know it.

Before then, the final spot in Group B needs to be determined, with Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, and Yakult Brothers all vying for a spot in the next section of the tournament.

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