North American top laner Niship “Dhokla” Doshi will enter the 2026 LCS season without a team. The news comes after he helped 100 Thieves qualify for Worlds 2025 and delivered one of the strongest recent showings by an NA top laner at the tournament. Since 100 Thieves is leaving League of Legends, Dhokla remains without a team ahead of the 2026 LCS season.
The timing worked against him. By the time he returned from Worlds in November, most LCS teams had already locked in their top lane positions for 2026. The eight-team league structure meant only eight starting spots existed, and players competing at Worlds were effectively locked out of negotiations while rosters filled up back home.
Every team had a reason to go another direction. Cloud9 signed top laner Thanatos. FlyQuest promoted Gakgos, a rookie they’d been developing for over a year. Shopify Rebellion kept Fudge, whose synergy with the roster remained strong. Lyon brought up NA prospect Zamudo as a development project.
Disguised re-signed Castle due to budget constraints and import slot usage elsewhere. Team Liquid decided to import Morgan from the LCK instead. Dignitas still had Photon under contract. That leaves only Sentinels, the new organization building a budget-conscious lineup, with a realistic opening.
Dhokla joined 100 Thieves mid-2025 when the team sat at the bottom of standings. He helped engineer a late-season surge that secured their Worlds qualification. At the tournament, he held his own against elite top laners from the LPL and LCK, including standout games against players like Doran and Bin.
This marks his second Worlds appearance in three years. He previously reached quarterfinals with NRG in 2023 after the team upset G2. Over his career, he’s been known as a solid role-player comfortable on tanks and utility picks, doing the dirty work for his carries.
What comes next for Dhokla
With no LCS spot secured, Dhokla is weighing alternatives. Streaming and content creation present one path, given his established social media following and personality. He could also pursue broadcast work as a desk analyst or co-streamer for LCK and LPL matches.
Europe offers another option. Several fans and analysts suggest he could find opportunities in the LEC or European Regional Leagues, where the expanded ecosystem might have more openings than the eight-team LCS. Mid-table LEC organizations could potentially view him as an upgrade.
