100T Dhokla: "Just four months ago, I was pretty much done with League"

Niship "Dhokla" Doshi, toplaner of 100 Thieves at Worlds 2025.

"Bin just ran it down"

Against all odds, 100 Thieves pulled off the heist of a lifetime, toppling LPL first seed Bilibili Gaming. As proud representatives of the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA), the team notched a crucial opening victory for their region, signaling big things to come at Worlds 2025. In an exclusive interview, toplaner Niship "Dhokla" Doshi sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the stunning win, the team’s preparation heading into Worlds, and what fans can expect for the rest of the tournament.

How do you feel after 100 Thieves’ upset win over Bilibili Gaming, the first seed of the LPL?

Niship "Dhokla" Doshi: “We won, we destroyed their Nexus. Everyone expected that and no surprise here. I don't know why everyone's so shocked. We obviously ran into a lot of difficulties, but going into this match, I wasn’t expecting us to get stomped or anything. We were a far better team than what we showed on stage against Vivo Keyd Stars, which was the last time people saw us play. I thought we played pretty badly that day, and to be able to show how we can play today is really nice. Everyone just leveled up, played well, and was really locked in, so I’m really glad about that. We did have a low win rate in scrims—maybe zero for quite some time—but we won a few now. Hopefully, we’ll get some scrims after this so we can get better. Please give us scrims...

After your journey from being teamless a few months ago to now beating BLG at Worlds, what does this moment mean to you personally?

Dhokla: [Chuckles] I wasn’t fully confident to do my entire dance... It’s been pretty crazy. Just four months ago, I was teamless and pretty much done with League of Legends. I didn’t think I was going to continue trying to go pro because I didn’t see a path to get to this spot. Through very unlikely turn of events, I started coaching. We were in eighth place, I came in, and now we’re here. It’s definitely a Cinderella run. I’m just trying to be very grateful for the opportunity I have and make the most of it. Hopefully, we can keep it going because this is probably the last time we’ll play together as a team with this roster. It’s definitely my favorite roster I’ve been a part of, and I don’t want it to end just yet. So let’s try to win a little bit more.

How do you feel about your current level? Do you feel back in form?

Dhokla: I didn’t really do much this game. Bin (Chen Ze-Bin) just ran it down. He trapped me in lane. If I took a base, I would’ve lost a wave plus a plate, maybe two plates. Maybe I just don’t know enough about the matchup, but I don’t think I played well this game. I just got carried. I was playing Sion, and they had a bad comp to deal with Sion. My team just played really well. I just did my job, which is sometimes all you need to do in pro games. One game at a time—I’ll learn from this, try to get better, and be ready for the next match.

How did you perceive the team’s mood before this match, given the scrim struggles and Kim "River" Dong-woo’s absence before yesterday? Does this win give you a chance to bounce back and aim for a deeper run at Worlds?

Dhokla: To me, the mood was fine. Obviously, everyone’s a little on edge given we’re dealing with so many annoying things that can tick people off. But for me, I’m only gonna try to control what I can control; everything else I try not to worry about since it just adds stress you can’t do anything about, so there’s no point. That was my mindset. The vibes were pretty fine for me. We were just joking about how if we had to play with GoldenGlue (Greyson Gilmer), it’d have been a fast way back home. Well, it’s just one game in the grand scheme of things and one game at a time. Obviously, a big upset here for us, but it’s just one game. Don’t get too overhyped or too sad if we lose, since it’s Swiss and you just have to get to three wins to qualify. You can relax a little bit, but still stay locked in.

Can North American fans be hopeful about their teams’ chances at Worlds, given 100 Thieves’ win, despite recent struggles?

Dhokla: You can be hopeful for the good players. I’m glad we were able to win and give NA some hope—I'll say that first and foremost. There are good teams and good players in NA, but there’s also a lot wrong. Let’s not get started on that in this interview. I don’t know if we’ve really beaten an LPL first seed—maybe ever—but obviously it’s a huge win for us as a region. It gives a little hope. But again, it’s just one game. We don’t need to overreact.

What did Lim "Quid" Hyeon-seung eat yesterday? He played exceptionally well today.

Dhokla: I think we imported some kimchi from Korea. I don’t know what he ate, but whatever it was, we need it again because he was playing completely crazy. Keep it up, Quid.

Are there any teams you’d like to face next, or any you’d prefer to avoid?

Dhokla: It can get even tougher than today. I just really don’t want to play Gen.G.

What can fans expect from 100 Thieves in the next few days, and do you have a message for LCS fans?

Dhokla: To the LCS fans, we gave you a lot of hopium—just don’t overdose on it. We’re taking it one game at a time. For now, we’ll be able to get a lot better practice since we just beat BLG. Probably teams will want to scrim us, so hopefully we can gain a lot from that and keep the momentum going. As a team, we just want to do the best we can. I’m going to take it one day at a time and try to gain the most out of the time here and see where we end up—just do your best and see what happens.”

Header Photo Credit: Aiksoon Lee/Riot Games