PKL 2025: U Mumba down Gujarat Giants in tiebreaks; UP Yoddhas beat Telugu Titans

UP Yoddhas began their 2025 Pro Kabaddi League campaign with a thrilling 40-35 win over home side Telugu Titans.

Skipper Sumit’s eight points and Gagan Gowda’s superb 14-point haul proved decisive, despite Vijay Malik’s equally impressive 14 points for the Titans.

Vijay Malik opened the proceedings with an early hand touch, but the Yoddhas immediately showed their resilience. Gagan Gowda struck early against Bharat Hooda, with both teams trading blows and forcing do-or-die raids.

Bharat faltered in his first two such attempts, while Guman Singh’s double touch gave the Yoddhas the lead 10 minutes into the first half, reducing the Titans to just two men on the mat at the timeout.

The first all out arrived in the 8th minute, when skipper Sumit trapped Jai Bhagwan to hand the Yoddhas a four-point cushion.

Soon after, Gagan Gowda’s Super Raid extended the advantage, and the visitors began to dictate the tempo. Despite Bharat’s resistance, the Titans struggled to close the gap as the Yoddhas went into the break leading 21-13.

Early in the second half, the Yoddhas inflicted another all out, with Sumit completing his High Five after dismissing Shubham Shinde and stretching the lead to 11.

Malik briefly revived the Titans with a multi-point raid, but Gowda’s consistency carried him to a Super 10.

Sumit then produced a super tackle on Malik to restore the 11-point margin, putting the game seemingly out of reach.

The Titans, however, weren’t done. They capitalised on the Yoddhas’ first all out of the night, cutting the lead to just five points. Malik completed his Super 10 with a multi-point raid and even dismissed Gowda, sparking hopes of a late comeback.

But Gowda had the final say, sealing the contest with a Super Raid in the dying moments.

The Yoddhas held their nerve in a tense finish to win 40-35, making a strong start to their campaign.

U Mumba beat Gujarat Giants in tiebreaks

U Mumba opened their 2025 Pro Kabaddi League campaign with a thrilling victory against the Gujarat Giants in the second tie-breaker of the season.

The two teams were locked together at 29-29 before the Season 2 champions secured a 6-5 win in the tie-breaker at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Saturday.

Lokesh Ghosliya and Rohit Raghav registered four tackle points each, while Ajit Chouhan led the raiding unit with five raid points. Anil and Sandeep Kumar made timely contributions with three raid points each, while Sunil Kumar came in clutch to help U Mumba secure a hard-fought win.

Both teams hit the ground running in the opening exchanges before the defensive units took over. Ajit Chouhan opened the scoring for U Mumba, while Himanshu Singh did the same for Gujarat Giants.

Shubham Kumar then delivered the first big blow with a tackle on Ajit Chouhan, but the U Mumba defence responded instantly.

Lokesh Ghosliya and Mohammadreza Shadloui registered early tackles as both defensive units stayed in control. After the first timeout, U Mumba held a one-point lead with the score at 7-6.

However, Gujarat Giants stormed back to take a four-point lead, inflicting an all out before Himanshu Singh scored with a double-raid.

A late surge from the U Mumba defenders helped them close the gap in the closing stages of the first half. Lokesh Ghosliya notched up his fourth tackle with a Super Tackle, helping his side bring it down to a one-point game, with the score line at 16-15 in Gujarat Giants’ favour.

Rohit Raghav opened the scoring in the second half to bring his team back on level terms, but Gujarat Giants remained relentless on both ends. Mohammadreza Shadloui scored his first raid point and was supported by Harish Kamatchi, who contributed on both ends to make it a three-point game.

U Mumba stayed within striking distance courtesy to their defensive work and eventually got their noses in front with a one-point lead after a couple of Super Tackles. They continued that momentum with Anil Mohan registering some crucial points, while Ajit Chouhan contributed on the defensive end.

Parvesh Bhainswal also registered his 350th tackle in the PKL, keeping his team’s lead intact.

In the blink of an eye, U Mumba’s three-point lead was wiped out by a super raid from Himanshu Singh, levelling the scores at 27-27. With frantic action on both ends of the mat, the teams were tied at 29-29 after 40 minutes, forcing a second tie-breaker in as many days in PKL12.

Ajit Chouhan gave U Mumba the early advantage in the tie-breaker, scoring a two-point raid to set the tone. From then on, U Mumba’s defenders controlled the tempo, giving the Season 2 champions a 6-5 win in the tie-breaker.