Natus Vincere have once again become the center of Counter-Strike roster speculation following their disappointing run at the IEM Cologne Major 2026. A prediction market on Polymarket now gives the organization a 78% chance of making a roster change before September, while former player and analyst Janko “YNk” Paunović believes the Major may have changed NAVI’s plans for the future.
Polymarket predicts a 78% chance of a NAVI roster move
The discussion began after the Polymarket Counter-Strike account shared a market asking whether NAVI will make a roster change before September.
The post also referenced Richard Lewis’ earlier report claiming that Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy wanted to join Team Falcons to play alongside Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, but NAVI blocked the move, leaving the Ukrainian rifler frustrated.
According to the current market, traders estimate there is a 78% probability that NAVI will make at least one roster move before September. While prediction markets do not represent insider information, they often reflect community expectations surrounding major transfer rumors.
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YNk suggests jL could return
The market quickly attracted attention across the Counter-Strike scene, including from former player and analyst Janko “YNk” Paunović, who shared his own thoughts on NAVI’s situation.
You’d think NaVi was set after Atlanta but a disappointing Major can change a lot… Does jL make a return?
Rather than discussing an entirely new signing, YNk speculated about the possible return of Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, who previously represented NAVI before leaving the active lineup. His post suggests that the organization’s disappointing Major performance may have reopened discussions that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago after NAVI’s title at IEM Atlanta.
Community continues to speculate
The discussion quickly spread across social media, with fans debating both the reported b1t-to-Falcons story and NAVI’s future.
Some users questioned whether the team should make any changes at all, while others argued that replacing a player would not solve the squad’s current problems. Several fans also disagreed with YNk’s suggestion, with one of the most-liked replies stating:
I don’t understand why people think -iM +jL is a good idea.
Others continued discussing the possibility of b1t eventually joining Falcons if another opportunity arises, although there has been no official confirmation that such a move is currently being considered.
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NAVI deny the rumors
Following the growing speculation, NAVI Head of Esports Amiran “aMi” Revishvili denied Richard Lewis’ report, stating that Falcons never approached NAVI about signing b1t in recent transfer windows. According to aMi, the only offer from the Saudi organization came in 2024, shortly after NAVI won the PGL Major Copenhagen. He also dismissed claims that the club prevented b1t from leaving.
We never forced Valera to stay, he’s happy at NAVI, and he’s never asked to leave to any other org.
In a separate post, aMi added that b1t is “like a son” to him and said he would never allow the player to be unhappy, directly contradicting the earlier report about NAVI blocking a move to Falcons.
