Legendary Dota 2 player and former TI champion Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi hasn’t hidden his intentions of retiring from competitive play, and Team Liquid has now revealed he’s exiting the professional scene.
iNSaNiA began his professional career with the game Heroes of Newerth, but he ultimately moved on to Dota 2 when the former game’s popularity began to wane. It’s a good thing that he did, as iNSaNiA has had an impressive Dota 2 career with five major tournament wins, including The International 2024, where he was crowned TI champion. The professional player has remained with TL since 2019 but announced his wish to retire from Dota 2 in May. Team Liquid has now officially announced that iNSaNiA is quitting Dota 2 esports completely.
Team Liquid announced iNSaNiA’s effective retirement from the Dota 2 competitive scene following the conclusion of The International 2025.
iNSaNiA’s retirement was announced by Team Liquid on X, with the organization praising the legendary player and crediting his massive input in helping the team lift the trophy at The International 2024. The team failed to qualify for The International 2025 playoffs after, losing to Tundra Esports, and fans were hit with another sad bit of news as iNSaNiA followed through on his plans for retiring Dota 2. Team Liquid hasn’t revealed at the time of this writing who will replace iNSaNiA, but the esports organization has said that it will do “something special to honor his legacy.”
Team Liquid on X
iNSaNiA has spoken about retiring because he’s getting older and wants to do other things with his life. The player stated that a part of him still wants to keep playing, and it’s possible to continue, as he is one of the best European support players in competitive Dota 2 with a career win rate over 63%. But it looks like after a professional career of approximately 15 years, iNSaNiA has finally decided to move on. The player remained with Team Liquid for six years on the active roster and showcased his impressive skills multiple times, through good times and through difficult circumstances alike.
Fans have expressed their sadness at the great player leaving the pro Dota 2 scene, but agree that his legacy will remain forever.
Team Liquid needs to replace both iNSaNiA and SabeRLight’s positions on its Dota 2 roster to be able to compete, sparking a significant rebuild.
iNSaNiA’s departure has opened up a support position in TL’s Dota 2 roster, but the team also needs an offlaner as it has moved SabeRLight to its bench. TL made this move after facing disappointment at the TI 2025, but some fans criticized the benching, claiming the team’s subpar performance wasn’t SabeRLight’s fault. Despite that, the player is now on loan to AVULUS, so he will indeed need to be replaced.
TL needs to bring in skilled players if it wants its Dota 2 roster to regain its success and lift another major trophy, as it once did when it joined the list of TI winners.
Team Liquid’s current roster:
Feature image credit: Team Liquid
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