Puneri Paltan, on Thursday (September 18), registered a thumping 40-22 win over U Mumba at the SMS Indoor Stadium, Jaipur in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League 2025 (PKL 2025).
The win also saw Puneri Paltan reclaim the top spot in the points table. They now have six wins from eight games. U Mumba, on the other hand, are at the fifth spot with four wins and three defeats.
PKL 2025: Puneri Paltan outclass U Mumba
Puneri Paltan delivered a defensive masterclass in the match, scoring 20 tackle points including an impressive six Super tack;es. Gurdeep led the defensive charge with a High Five while Gaurav Khatri and Abinesh Nadarajan registered four tackles each. Stuwart Singh contributed on the raiding end with eight points.
The Pune-based outfit raced to a four-point lead in the early stages after Abinesh Nadarajan and Gurdeep registered tackles, before Sachin Tanwar and Pankaj Mohite came up with successful raids. On the other hand, U Mumba got off the mark through Amirmohammad Zafardanesh.
With the likes of Khatri and Sunil Kumar also joining the party soon, the match was fully being dominated by the defenders. At the end of the first quarter, the scores were level at 5-5.
Puneri Paltan once again opened up a four-point lead before U Mumba reduced the deficit to just one point thanks to a two-point raid from Zafardanesh. Puneri Paltan restored the four-point lead for the third time in the match when Rakesh Rajesh completed a Super Tackle. At the end of the first half, the score was 15-10 in Puneri Paltan’s favour.
They started the second half on the front foot as well with Vishal Bhardwaj executing a Super Tackle to hand his side a 7-point lead. It was followed by another Super Tackle from Abinesh Nadarajan as the Paltan took charge of the Maharashtra derby.
With the Paltan defenders in red hot form, the U Mumba attackers found it extremely difficult to score points and reduce the deficit. Rinku kept the scoreboard ticking for U Mumba with four tackles. Puneri Paltan skipper Aslam Inamdar got his first point of the game with a bonus before delivering a Super Tackle.
With the likes of Gurdeep and Khatri holding firm in defence, Puneri Paltan inflicted an all out on U Mumba to all but seal the game. In the end, they clinched the match by 18 points.
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