jL thanks Vitality teammates for warm welcome as stand-in

Team Vitality stand-in Justinas “jL” Lekavicius thanked the Counter-Strike 2 roster for the warm welcome he received, Cybersport.ru reported on Oct. 31.

According to Cybersport.ru, jL said it was, if he dared say so, the best team experience of his life. He said he had never been so close to anyone on a team, which he called surprising given how much time he had spent in other teams. His teammates made his stay special, he told them.

jL also said that when he agreed to be a stand-in, he thought it would be a good chance to watch how the best team in the world plays. He said he could not have imagined it would turn out this way and that they would welcome him so warmly, and that this made him happy.

Why he played

Cybersport.ru wrote that jL replaced Dan “apEX” Madesclaire at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. The French captain missed the tournament because his son was born. With the stand-in, Vitality finished fourth.