hampus returns to Ninjas in Pyjamas, Aleksib benched

The Swedish captain returns to competition after taking a break in January.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have announced Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser's return to the starting roster as captain, cementing his comeback after a five-month break from competition. To make space for the returning in-game leader, Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen was moved to the bench.

hampus took a step back from competitive Counter-Strike due to health reasons in January, scheduled to miss the entirety of the spring season. As the tournament break approached, the player's agent confirmed to HLTV that the Swede was "more than ready to come back."

Read more

hampus is "more than ready to come back"; NIP to assess roster in off-season

hampus returns to NIP ahead of the fall season

Ninjas in Pyjamas COO Jonas "⁠calc⁠" Gundersen stated shortly after the agent's comments that the organization was going to consider their options on and off the bench in the off-season. "We'll take our time to assess our long-term vision properly in the off-season, and make sure we're positioned the best way possible to make an impact in CS2."

The news brings an end to Aleksib's nine-month tenure with the Swedish organization. The Finn came into the squad not long after an underwhelming stint with G2, but generated excitement as hampus was freed from the leadership reigns to focus on fragging. He oversaw the team's move away from Swedish and transition to English communication, leading them to the playoffs of just one Big Event at BLAST Premier Fall Final 2022.

Read more

k0nfig joins NIP as hampus goes on break

"hampus is taking up the IGL mantle once more — well-rested and hungrier than ever," read Ninjas in Pyjamas' comment on Twitter. "This change also means Aleksib has been moved to the bench. Over the past two seasons, he has helped bring much-needed structure to the team that will keep serving us going forward, and we're sincerely grateful for his time with us."

hampus was the team's captain since his arrival from GamerLegion in May 2020 until Ninjas in Pyjamas's acquisition of Aleksib last year. He led the Swedish squad through several tournaments, claiming playoff spots at both PGL Major Stockholm and PGL Major Antwerp as well as a second-place finish at IEM Winter 2021.

Ninjas in Pyjamas and hampus are scheduled to take the stage together after the tournament break at BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark between July 13-23. The team will be put to the test immediately against the likes of Vitality, HEROIC, and FaZe just a few days before the start of IEM Cologne.

Ninjas in Pyjamas are now:

Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov
Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke
Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner
Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin
Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser

Daniel "⁠djL⁠" Narancic (coach)

Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen (benched)
Patrick "⁠es3tag⁠" Hansen (benched)