PKL 2025: Tamil Thalaivas sink Patna Pirates; Dabang Delhi pip Haryana Steelers in tiebreak

Arjun Deshwal recorded 26 raid points in Tamil Thalaivas' win over Patna Pirates.

Haryana Steelers vs Dabang Delhi (Photo credit: PKL)

The Bridge Desk

Published: 8 Oct 2025 4:25 AM GMT

Tamil Thalaivas signed off from their home leg with a dominant 56-37 win against Patna Pirates in Chennai on Tuesday in the 2025 Pro Kabaddi League.

It was a night to remember for Arjun Deshwal, who registered his career best performance (26 points) while also amassing his 71st super ten in the league, climbing to third place for the list of most super tens in PKL history.

Nitesh Kumar also completed his high-five on the night, while Narender Kandola and Aashish chipped in with six and five points respectively.

Their 56 points was also the most by a team in a match this season. For Patna Pirates, Ayan Lohchab and Ankit Rana registered Super 10s that was not enough for their side.

The two main raiders - Arjun Deshwal and Ayan Lohchab - got off to quick starts to open the account for their respective sides.

It was the latter who imposed himself on the Tamil Thalaivas defence first, securing a Super Raid to open up a slender gap between the two sides. Ankit Rana also chipped in for the Pirates, keeping them in the driver’s seat initially.

Aashish and Himanshu kept the hosts within touching distance but they eventually surrendered the first all out of the match courtesy a tackle by Navdeep, giving the Pirates a four-point opening.

Despite the setback, the Thalaivas stayed in the hunt with the score at 13-11 after the opening ten minutes.

It didn’t take the home side long to turn the tables though. Nitesh Kumar and Aashish combined for a couple of tackles to level the score at 14-14 before the former got a tackle to extract revenge with an all out for the Thalaivas, giving them a four-point lead.

Arjun further extended that lead, finding his groove and completing his eighth super ten of the season.

For the Pirates, Ankit Rana kept them in the game with a couple of raids but the momentum for the home side couldn’t be hampered.

By the end of the first half, Tamil Thalaivas had stamped their authority on the game with their second all out, establishing a commanding eleven-point lead with the score at 30-19.

Ankit Rana completed his super ten, helping his team reduce the deficit to nine points and giving the Pirates an opening at the start of the second half.

However, Narender Kandola emerged with a successful do-or-die raid, followed by a tackle from Arulnanthababu to ensure Tamil Thalaivas stay in control of the proceedings. Meanwhile, Ayan Lohchab also registered his super ten as his team continued to fight.

With the Thalaivas in control, Nitesh Kumar completed his fifth high five of the season, while Arjun Deshwal continued to keep his foot on the pedal with their side having a fourteen-point advantage with close to eight minutes to play.

His side executed their third ALL OUT of the game courtesy a tackle by Aashish, and the writing was on the wall thereon, with the score at 43-26.

Fighting till the end, Ayan Lohchab recorded a humongous four-point super raid to give the Patna Pirates fans something to smile about.

However, that didn’t have an effect on the grand scheme of things. Arjun Deshwal added the finishing touches to the game, ending a historic night for him with 26 points, while also recording the best performance by a raider in a game this season as Tamil Thalaivas completed a 19-point triumph.

Dabang Delhi pip Haryana Steelers in tiebreak

Dabang Delhi once again showcased their class, clinching a thrilling win in a close encounter against the Haryana Steelers.

Ajinkya Pawar stepped up with eight points, while Saurabh Nandal’s high five helped Dabang Delhi take the match into a tie-breaker and eventually secure the victory.

It was also a proud milestone for Fazel Atrachali, who notched up four points and delivered a Super Raid in the tie-breaker in what was his 200th PKL appearance.

The Haryana Steelers started the match on a positive note with a successful raid from Vinay, giving them an early lead.

However, Dabang Delhi quickly responded with points of their own to move ahead. The Steelers stayed composed and hit back through a strong tackle from Neeraj, who brought down Dabang Delhi’s star raider Ashu Malik to level the scores.

Both teams continued to exchange points over the next few minutes, keeping the contest evenly balanced. The Steelers showed better control in both defence and attack, maintaining a narrow two-point advantage at 9-7 when the first half time-out was called.

Dabang Delhi quickly levelled the scores after the restart, and the game remained tightly contested. Both teams matched each other point for point, with neither allowing the other to take control.

As the first half moved into its final minutes, the Haryana Steelers broke the deadlock with an impressive defensive effort, inflicting an all out to take a 16-12 lead.

The Steelers built on that momentum, maintaining their advantage with disciplined defence and sharp raiding. However, just before halftime, Ajinkya Pawar produced a brilliant super raid, earning three points for his side and cutting the deficit to 18-17.

The first half ended with the Steelers holding a narrow one-point lead.

Dabang Delhi started the second half on a strong note, as Neeraj Narwal picked up a point with a successful raid to level the scores at 18-18.

The Steelers looked to build on their advantage, keeping pressure on Dabang Delhi, but they refused to back down. Their raiders fought back strongly, and the team managed to inflict an all out, closing the gap to just one point.

Both sides continued to go toe-to-toe, exchanging points with every move and keeping the contest finely balanced. As the intensity grew, neither team allowed the other to pull away.

When the time out was taken midway through the second half, the scoreboard reflected how close the game had been — locked at 27-27.

The Steelers started well after the restart, earning the first point through a confident raid from Shivam Patare. Moments later, Rahul added another point with a solid tackle, giving the Steelers a two-point cushion.

However, Dabang Delhi stayed in the fight. Their raiders picked up quick points, reducing the gap to just one with about four minutes left in the second half.

Fazel produced a brilliant tackle to make it 31-31 — a special moment in his milestone game.

With time running out, Fazel once again showed his class. He delivered under pressure, earning a crucial point to level the scores at 33-33 and forcing the game into the ninth tie-breaker of the season.

Dabang Delhi started the tie-breaker on a strong note, striking first through a solid defensive effort to take the early lead. They quickly followed it up with another point to make it 2-0.

Haryana Steelers finally got on the board with a point in their second raid, but Delhi continued to dominate the contest.

Ajinkya Pawar’s successful raid extended Delhi’s advantage to 3-1, putting more pressure on the Steelers. Soon after, Surjeet Singh came up with a powerful tackle to make it 4-1.

The momentum firmly stayed with Delhi as captain Fazel Atrachali produced a brilliant super raid, earning three crucial points and putting the result beyond doubt.

Dabang Delhi finished the tie-breaker in style, sealing a convincing 9-3 win to claim victory after a thrilling match.

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