Puneri Paltan

Puneri Paltan will look to bounce back in Pro Kabaddi League 2025 (PKL 2025) after the disappointing campaign last season. Despite being one of the most consistent teams in the league, Puneri Paltan failed to qualify for the playoffs last season.

They crashed out at the league stage after finishing at the eighth spot with nine wins from 22 games. Following the poor campaign, they have appointed former Indian kabaddi captain Ajay Thakur as their head coach. Thakur plied his trade as the assistant coach for the Paltan last season.

Thakur is widely regarded as one of the most decorated Kabaddi players of all time. He was a part of the Indian team that won gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. He also featured in the first seven editions of the PKL as a player and ended his career with 816 points in 121 matches, including 794 raid points and 22 tackle points.

Puneri Paltan squad:

Even though Puneri Paltan failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, they have retained most of the players. In this year’s auction, they signed up eight players to boost their squad. Aslam Inamdar missed last season due to an injury but is available for the upcoming season and it will be a big boost for the Pune-based outfit.

They also retained Pankaj Mohite, who was their standout raider last season with 110 raid points in 22 matches. In addition, Puneri Paltan also retained Mohit Goyat, who racked up 83 raid points in 19 games last season. During the auction, they signed up Sachin Tanwar for INR 1.058 crore to further strengthen their attack.

The other raiders in the squad are Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh (INR 13 lacs), Milad Mohajer (INR 13.50 lacs) and Stuwart Singh (INR 13 lacs). Overall, the Paltan have a strong attacking unit.

However, the same cannot be said about their defence. While they have retained their star right cover Abinesh Nadarajan, they could not sign a backup for him. The other notable names in the defence are Vishal Bhardwaj and Gaurav Khatri. However, there is a clear lack of depth in the defensive unit of the team.

Raiders: Mohit Goyat, Aditya Tushar Shinde, Pankaj Mohite, Abhishek Tukaram Gunge (right raider), Stuwart Singh (right raider), Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh (F), Milad Mohajer (F), Sachin

Defenders: Gaurav Khatri (right corner), Abinesh Nadarajan (right cover), Dadaso Shivaji Pujari (right corner), Sanjay Enania (right corner), Rakesh (left corner), Vaibhav S. Rabade (right cover), Rohan Ashok Tupare, Vishal Bhardwaj, Mohd. Amaan (left corner)

All-rounders: Aslam Mustafa Inamdar, Gurdeep

Puneri Paltan schedule:

With the tournament taking place across four venues, Puneri Paltan will also be in action across all those venues. They will be playing six games in the first leg in Vizag. Puneri Paltan will open their campaign against Bengaluru Bulls on August 29.

It will be followed by three games in Jaipur before they play six more games in Chennai. In the final leg in Delhi, Puneri Paltan are scheduled to play three matches.

Vizag leg:

• August 29, Bengaluru Bulls vs. Puneri Paltan
• September 01, Puneri Paltan vs. Gujarat Giants
• September 03, Puneri Paltan vs. Bengal Warriors
• September 04, Puneri Paltan vs. Dabang Delhi K.C.
• September 08, Puneri Paltan vs. Patna Pirates
• September 10, UP Yoddhas vs. Puneri Paltan

Jaipur leg:

• September 13, Puneri Paltan vs. Telugu Titans
• September 18, U Mumba vs. Puneri Paltan
• September 19, Puneri Paltan vs. Haryana Steelers

Chennai leg:

• September 30, Bengal Warriors vs. Puneri Paltan
• October 02, Puneri Paltan vs. Bengaluru Bulls
• October 04, Puneri Paltan vs. Jaipur Pink Panthers
• October 08, Puneri Paltan vs. U Mumba
• October 11, Tamil Thalaivas vs. Puneri Paltan
• October 12, Dabang Delhi K.C. vs. Puneri Paltan

Delhi leg:

• October 15, Jaipur Pink Panthers vs. Puneri Paltan
• October 18, Telugu Titans vs. Puneri Paltan
• October 19, Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan