Mobile Legends' Team Liquid Philippines versus Kiel "Oheb" Soriano resignation legal controversy
Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH), a professional team competing on the Mobile Legends professional scene, is currently engaged in a legal battle with its former member, Kiel "Oheb" Soriano, for the latter allegedly breaching his contract due to his sudden resignation on February 2026. Oheb was revealed to have moved to Mobile Legends' competing game, Honor of Kings, in a March 21, 2026, event.
According to TLPH, retirement transition "usually takes one season so the player, the team, and the league can all be protected".[note 1] TLPH originally planned to compete with Oheb for the upcoming MPL Philippines Season 17 (S17), which had a roster lock deadline on Monday, February 15, 2026. However, Oheb handed in his resignation on Friday, February 6, 2026, leaving TLPH only one week (five business days) to find his replacement.[note 2]
Oheb is represented by Atty. Taikee Calleja of Calleja Law.
Timeline
This is a timeline of all events known to the public, or publicly revealed by either party. Several events have transpired privately behind-the-scenes. All dates are in 2026.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Monday, February 2 | Oheb informed TLPH management that he wanted to step away from competitive play. TLPH explained to Oheb that retirement transitions usually take one season. TLPH attempted to communicate with Oheb in the following days but failed until February 6. |
| Friday, February 6 | Oheb handed his formal resignation to TLPH. This gave TLPH five business days to find a replacement before the MPL Philippines S17 roster lock. Oheb was now represented by counsel. |
| Monday, February 15 | The deadline for MPL Philippines S17 roster lock arrived. |
| Tuesday, February 24 | TLPH publicly announced that Oheb had been moved to "inactive" status.[1] |
| Wednesday, February 25 | Oheb, through his attorney, issued a public legal statement informing that Oheb had already resigned from TLPH on February 6. |
| Tuesday, March 3 | Honor of Kings Philippines announced "Mr. One", a mystery person officially joining Honor of Kings.[2] This person would be revealed at a later date. |
| Monday, March 9 | Oheb thanked the Mobile Legends Philippine community for their support, and announced that he needed to take a break to have time to reflect.[3] |
| Saturday, March 21 | "Mr. One" is revealed to be Oheb in a public event. A press conference was held, alongside Oheb's attorney. |
| Thursday, March 26 | TLPH issued a public statement regarding the issue, and announced that the organization is pursuing legal action against Oheb for breach of contract. |
| Friday, March 27 | Oheb's attorney responded with a public legal statement defending Oheb, and announced that the matter should be addressed within legal channels. |
Difference with the clean breaks of the "Big 3"
The "Big 3" are three former professional Mobile Legends players who retired from their respective team organizations a month after MPL Philippines S15 ended to transition to Honor of Kings in July 2025. They are Renejay "Renejay" Barcarse,[4] Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera,[5] and John Paul "H2WO" Salonga,[6] playing for Aurora Gaming PH, TNC Pro Team, and Smart Omega Neos, respectively. There were no public animosities between the players and their organizations.
Each of the three organizations thanked its respective player and publicly bid farewell on July 2, 2025, before all three players officially announced that they were joining Honor of Kings the following day on July 3. While the exact dates of their resignations are not known, based on the Philippine labor law's 30-day resignation notice, all of them formally resigned on Monday, June 2, 2025, the day after MPL Philippines S15 ended. This gave all three organizations at least two months to scout for player replacements before S16's roster lock in August 2025.
Gallery
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Oheb's legal response to TLPH on February 25, 2026. -
TLPH's public response to the fans on March 26, 2026 (part 1). -
TLPH's public response to the fans on March 26, 2026 (part 2). -
TLPH's public response to the fans on March 26, 2026 (part 1). -
Oheb's legal response to TLPH on March 27, 2026.
Notes
- TLPH did not state if this was written into the contract.
- With a week before roster lock, many of the free agents are already committed to an organization.
References
- Team Liquid Philippines announces putting Oheb in inactive status on February 2026. February 24, 2026, at 6:00 PM (PHT). Team Liquid PH team. Team Liquid PH Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
- Honor of Kings Philippines announces "Mr. One" mystery person. March 3, 2026, at 10:41 PM. Honor of Kings Philippines team. Honor of Kings Philippines Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
- Oheb's vague thank you to the Mobile Legends community before moving to Honor of Kings. March 9, 2026, at 7:25 PM. Kiel Calvin "Oheb" Soriano.. Kiel Gaming Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
- Aurora Gaming PH bids farewell to Renejay. July 2, 2025, at 4:30 PM (PHT). Aurora Gaming PH team. Aurora Gaming PH Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
- TNC Pro Team (Mobile Legends) bids farewell to Yawi. July 2, 2025, at 7:00 PM (PHT). TNC Pro Team (Mobile Legends) team. TNC Pro Team - ML Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
- Smart Omega bids farewell to H2WO. July 2, 2025, at 6:19 PM (PHT). Smart Omega team. Smart Omega Facebook page. Retrieved on 2026-04-05.
