StarLadder announce Talent lineup for StarLadder Budapest Major

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 29/10/2025

StarLadder have announced the talent lineup for the StarLadder Budapest Major.

The lineup includes many of Counter-Strike’s best-known on-air talent, and a surprise or two.

British talent throughout StarLadder Budapest talent lineup

The talent lineup features the majority of Counter-Strike’s Tier 1 mainstays, with British talent at the heart of the scene.

Freya Spiers is appearing in her second consecutive major, after missing out on the first two CS2 majors in Copenhagen and Shanghai.

South Africa’s Sam ‘Tech Girl’ Wright will feature as the other Desk Host, after featuring in the Shanghai and Paris majors.

James Banks will take on his usual roles of interviewer and stage host, hyping up the crowd and commiserating heartbroken players.

Banks has shared his impressions of the arena on his podcast, All About Counter-Strike, stating, “I got to go inside the Major arena, I will put myself on this plateau as it be, I think that StarLadder will have the best Major arena in the history of our game”

Other British talent includes casters Alex ‘Machine’ Richardson, Hugo Byron, Harry ‘JustHarry’ Russell, as well as Northern Irish caster Adam ‘Dinko’ Hawkthorne.

Machine and Dinko are alongside their classic commentary duos of SPUNJ and Moses, respectively, with Canadian duo Conner ‘Scrawny’ Girvan and Mohan ‘launders’ Govindasamy rounding out the cast of casters.

Jacob ‘Pimp’ Winneche and Alex ‘Mauisnake’ Ellenberg are amongst the most present analysts in CS2. They are joined by Fnatic legend, Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg, who is on the desk for his first major since the 2022 Antwerp Major.

Teodor ‘Tedd’ Borisov is the surprise name, with the Bulgarian getting his big break at the Major. The online caster and host has been grinding in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 scenes, earning him a place in the biggest competition in Counter-Strike.

As a result, Tedd posted a heartfelt message on social media, stating, “I am honoured and blessed to be part of the most prestigious event in CS alongside so many incredibly talented people. I will give it my all”

Ultimately, it’s hard to access anyone who is missing from the major, as who is offered a major spot is not public information, nor is who may have rejected the opportunity.

That being said, it seems that Janko ‘YNk’ Paunovic is a notable absentee from the Major talent lineup.

YNk is widely considered one of the best analysts in Counter-Strike, featuring at IEM Cologne, IEM Katowice, and EWC, amongst other Tier 1 events in 2025.

The Serbian former FaZe head coach stated, “Not my year when it comes to Majors,” after also missing out on the BLAST.tv Austin Major.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 talent list in full:

Stage Host/Interviewer:

• James Banks

Desk Host:

• Freya Spiers
• Sam ‘Tech Girl’ Wright

Analyst:

• Jacob ‘Pimp’ Winneche
• Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg
• Alex ‘Mauisnake’ Ellenberg
• Teodor ‘Tedd’ Borisov

Casters:

• Chad ‘SPUNJ’ Burchill
• Alex ‘Machine’ Richardson
• Conner ‘Scrawny’ Girvan
• Mohan ‘launders’ Govindasamy
• Hugo Byron
• Harry ‘JustHarry’ Russell
• Jason ‘Moses’ O’Toole
• Adam ‘Dinko’ Hawthorne

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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