Former world champion iLLeY teases esports return for Black Ops 7

Former Call of Duty League (CDL) champion Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal has teased a return to esports.

The announcement follows iLLeY’s decision to step away from competing in competitive Call of Duty in late May.

In a social media post published on June 17th, 2025, the 2020 CDL champion asked if he should make a return for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 season if the title is appropriate for competitive play.

Fans were quick to share their excitement surrounding iLLeY’s potential return to competing, while others were left surprised by the post, citing the player’s retirement post made last month.

IlleY’s potential return to Call of Duty esports follows a trend of players calling time on their careers before re-evaluating the decision based on whether Black Ops 7 is an enjoyable title to play. After announcing his retirement on May 26th, 2025, 2015 world champion Dillon ‘Attach’ Price expressed a desire to return if the upcoming release is fun and contains futuristic movement mechanics.

Details on what Black Ops 7 has in store have yet to be revealed by Activision and Treyarch, the studio spearheading development of the title.

Despite expressing a desire to return to the upper echelons of Call of Duty esports, it remains unclear if iLLeY will return to competing and make an appearance as part of a Call of Duty League franchise.

Throughout the Black Ops 6 season, iLLeY has competed across the North American Challengers scene as part of various teams, and there’s every chance the former world champion ends up representing one of the 12 franchises if he intends on making a full-time return.

With more information on Black Ops 7 expected to appear on June 20th, 2025, fans will have to wait and see if iLLeY follows through on interest to make an anticipated return.