BBL Esports moved Crewen and lovers rock to its inactive VALORANT roster on Monday, November 9. The two posts went up on BBL's X account about half an hour apart, Crewen first and then lovers rock. Each post, written in Turkish, says the player moves to the inactive roster as of that day and thanks them for their work. The graphic on both carries one word under the player's name: "Benched."
If that feels sudden, it has been two months in the making.
What happened in September
On September 11, VLR.gg reported that BBL had allowed Rosé, lovers rock, Crewen and assistant coach Viento to explore their options for 2027. VLR's transaction log for BBL has listed all three players as inactive since that date. The same report says their contracts with BBL run through 2027 and describes the three as entering restricted free agency. Viento left the team on November 2, going off that same log.
So the November 9 posts make it official for two of the three. Rosé is listed as inactive on VLR too, but we did not find a matching BBL post for Rosé.
And this was a roster that won. VLR's report credits BBL with an undefeated Kickoff title, a top six finish at Masters Santiago and a top four finish at the Esports World Cup in 2026, before the team missed Champions Shanghai.
How BBL got this roster
In November 2025, BBL signed the entire PCIFIC lineup: Crewen, Lar0k, Loita, Rosé and lovers rock, plus head coach KEY. That team had just won EMEA Ascension 2025 while playing as BBL PCIFIC, BBL's affiliate. VLR wrote that "much controversy arose" when the move was first reported, because of that partnership.
Riot looked into it. Daniel Ringland, Head of VALORANT Esports EMEA, said at the time, "At this stage, the evidence reviewed indicates no wrongdoing by either BBL or PCIFIC." He also said Riot reviewed the allegations of shared ownership across both orgs "and can confirm this is not true." PCIFIC kept its VCT EMEA slot and built a new roster for 2026.
A year later, three of those five players are out of BBL's active lineup. Lar0k and Loita are the two still active, with KEY as head coach.
Who plays for BBL in 2027?
BBL is in. The org was announced as a VCT EMEA partner team for 2027 on October 18, and VLR lists Lar0k and Loita on the roster.
The other three seats are open. BBL named a lineup for Intel Monsters Reloaded, an October 24 event in Istanbul, with ComeBack, oroni and VenTT next to Lar0k and Loita. THESPIKE.GG wrote that "it's still uncertain whether these three players will officially join the organization for 2027." As of November 11, BBL has not announced a signing, and Crewen, lovers rock and Rosé have not been announced by another team.
Who should BBL put in those three seats? Come tell us in the CXM Discord.
Your call
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