On May 28, 2026, the Sega Sammy Phoenix announced that they would not be renewing Asai Takaki‘s contract for the 2026-27 season.
In Takaki’s comments on Twitter, he says it was “team changes” (編成の都合) as the reason why he was dropped.
Takaki expressed disappointment, especially since his doctor gave him the okay after experiencing a subarachnoid hemorrhage which sent him to the hospital earlier last season.
His teammates (who all had their contracts renewed) expressed gratitude for the two years they competed with each other, with Genta saying that it would be “awesome to compete with him again, but next time as an opponent”.
Takaki was drafted by the Sega Sammy Phoenix in the 2024-25 season as the 2nd overall pick. In the 2024-25 season, he was part of the team effort of getting no 4ths in the semifinals (the first team ever to accomplish the feat) and the team eventually went on to win the championship.
However, he finished 26/36 in his first season with a -215.3pts result (including a yakuman deal-in), and a -81.7pts result in the most recent season.
Earlier this month, Takaki wrote a note regarding the sudden hospitalization and his recovery, and indicated that more about it will be written and released in August.
The M-League Watch team would like to wish Takaki the best of health and the best in his continuing mahjong journey.
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