Puneri Paltan, on Saturday (October 4), registered a hard-fought 41-36 win over Jaipur Pink Panthers at the SDAT Multi Purpose Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
The win has helped Puneri Paltan further bolster their position in the Pro Kabaddi League 2025 (PKL 2025) points table. With nine wins from 12 matches, they are currently at the second spot in the points table behind Dabang Delhi K.C..
On the other hand, Jaipur Pink Panthers are at the fifth spot with six wins and five defeats from 11 matches so far.
PKL 2025: Puneri Paltan march on
For Puneri Paltan, Aditya Shinde impressed once again by scoring a Super 10 while Pankaj Mohite and Mohit Goyat recorded 8 and 7 points respectively. Ali Samadai had a stunning outing for the Panthers as he registered the best performance by an overseas player in the PKL. He scored 22 points in the match but his efforts eventually went in vain.
Mohite opened the scoring for Puneri Paltan while Sahil did it for the Panthers. Both the teams matched each other blow for blow in the early phase. As the game progressed, the Pune-based outfit got the momentum and soon took a two-point lead courtesy a tackle from Vishal Bhardwaj. Shinde then helped them inflict an all out and open up a 12-6 lead.
Puneri Paltan went on to inflict another all out on the Panthers before the break to assert their dominance. At halftime, the Paltan were firmly in the driver’s seat with the scoreboard reading 25-12 in their favour.
The Panthers came out all guns blazing in the second half with their Iranian duo leading the charge. Samadi looked in red-hot form as he scored a Super Raid and backed it up with a two-point raid, completing his Super 10 in the process. On the other hand, his compatriot Reza Mirbagheri helped the Panthers register their first all out and reduce the deficit to three points.
With less than ten minutes remaining, Shinde completed his Super 10 and helped Puneri Paltan regain a five-point lead. Samadi, however, looked unstoppable as he kept the Paltan defence under immense pressure. With less than three minutes remaining, the Panthers levelled the scores at 33-33.
However, the Paltan went on to show why they have the best defence in the tournament. Dadaso Pujari registered a crucial Super Tackle on Samadi, and that was followed up by another Super Tackle by Mohit Goyat as the Paltan once again regained their five-point advantage. The Paltan went on to win the game by five points in the end.
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