fame praises K27’s young core despite early PGL Astana exit

fame praises K27’s young core despite early PGL Astana exit

Petr “fame” Bolyshev’s short spell with K27 did not bring the result the Russian side had hoped for at PGL Astana 2026, but the 23-year-old rifler left Kazakhstan with a positive impression of the team’s young core. K27 exited the event with a 0-3 record, losing to Falcons, Gentle Mates and magic, yet fame described the experience as valuable both for himself and for his temporary teammates. 

fame joined K27 on a short-term loan from Virtus.pro in April, with the agreement set to run until the end of May and no buy option included. The move was centered around PGL Astana, where K27 received a place after FUT withdrew from the $1.6 million event. He replaced Karim “relaxxie” Miftakhov in the lineup, adding major-event experience to a roster built around Daniil “qw1nk1” Kabilov, Danila “kashl1d” Dronov, Aleksey “xeedo” Mikulich and Daniil “X5G7V” Maryshev. 

For fame, the loan represented a chance to return to tier-one competition after being moved to Virtus.pro’s bench earlier in 2026. VP transfer-listed both fame and Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev in February as part of a rebuild following a poor start to the year. In his interview with HLTV, fame said his main objective with K27 was to show himself again on LAN and remain ready in case another team becomes interested. 

Although K27’s campaign ended quickly, their matches showed flashes of promise. Against Falcons, K27 pushed Ancient to a close 13-11 finish after recovering from a difficult start, with qw1nk1 producing a strong individual performance. Their elimination match against magic was also competitive: magic won Mirage 13-9 and Overpass 22-18, with Nikita “tenzy” Kochenyuk’s 50-kill performance on Overpass becoming the headline of the series. 

The bigger story for K27, however, was not the scoreline but the development of their prospects. HLTV’s April 2026 Prospects ranking included xeedo, qw1nk1 and kashl1d, and the match against magic featured five top-50 prospects in total. fame said he was impressed by the individual level he saw in practice, noting that some moments from his teammates were so sharp that he had not seen anything similar “in a long time.” 

He also pointed to the atmosphere inside the team as a positive sign. According to fame, K27’s players are still young and have plenty to fix, but their chemistry, humor and energy reminded him of his own earlier days in K23. He said he tried to help them not only with in-game ideas but also mentally, hoping that his experience could be useful after their first major LAN test. 

K27’s current profile supports that picture of a developing roster. HLTV lists the team with an average age of 20.6, a world ranking of No. 53, and Gregory “balblna” Oleinick as coach. The team’s core has not yet reached the top 30, but several players have already built sizeable map samples under K27, with kashl1d, xeedo and qw1nk1 all having spent well over a year in the lineup. 

For fame, the next step remains uncertain. His K27 loan is temporary, and HLTV reported after the magic match that he is expected to return to Virtus.pro once the deal ends. Still, the Astana run gave him a platform after months away from tier-one play, while K27 gained high-level experience against stronger opposition. The results were disappointing, but the event also confirmed why the roster’s young players are being watched closely.