PKL 2025: Puneri Paltan rise to top of the standings with a win over UP Yoddhas

Puneri Paltan had a brilliant day at the office as they thumped UP Yoddhas 43-32 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club on Wednesday night.

The win was powered by Super 10s from Aditya Shinde and Pankaj Mohite, while Gaurav Khatri chipped in with a solid High Five. For the Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda stood out once again with yet another Super 10.

Puneri Paltan opened the match on a positive note with a successful raid from Aslam Inamdar to claim the first point. However, UP Yoddhas immediately responded through Guman Singh to level the score at 1-1.

The momentum shifted when Pankaj Mohite produced a Super Raid, securing four points and giving Puneri a 7-3 lead. But an error from Mohite soon after allowed the Yoddhas to execute a Super Tackle, narrowing the gap to 6-7. The Yoddhas’ Guman Singh then added another point to bring the score level at 7-7.

UP Yoddhas briefly went ahead with a two-point lead, but Puneri Paltan fought back to make it even again before the first time-out. After the break, Paltan regained control with three consecutive points, stretching the lead to 12-9 with just over seven minutes left in the first half.

The Paltan extended their advantage further by inflicting an 'All Out', pushing the score to 16-12. Although the Yoddhas picked up a few points late in the half, Puneri held firm and went into the break with a solid 21-16 lead.

Puneri Paltan began the second half strongly with a well-executed tackle to extend their lead. The turning point came soon after when Aditya Shinde’s successful raid helped the Paltan inflict another 'All Out', pushing the score to 27-17.

Shinde maintained his momentum and soon completed his Super 10 with another successful raid. While he spearheaded the attack, Paltan’s defence stayed sharp and denied UP Yoddhas any chance of closing the gap. At the second-half time-out, the Paltan were firmly in control with a 32-21 lead.

After the break, the pattern of the game remained unchanged. The Paltan quickly added to their tally and inflicted a second 'All Out' in the half, stretching their advantage to 37-22 and creating a massive 15-point cushion. Pankaj Mohite also joined the party by completing his Super 10, capping off another consistent outing.

In the end, Puneri Paltan maintained their dominance on both ends of the mat and sealed the contest with a comprehensive 11-point victory, returning to winning ways and reclaiming the top spot on the points table.

Rampaging Bharat Hooda and Telugu Titans crush U Mumba

It was an impressive finish to the Vizag leg for the home side Telugu Titans, who secured a 45-37 win over U Mumba at the Vishwanadh Sports Club on Wednesday night.

Bharat Hooda led the charge with 13 points, while Chetan Sahu (6 points) and skipper Vijay Malik (5 points) played strong supporting roles, helping the Titans notch their third victory on the trot.

A strong start from the home team set the tone for the match, with Bharat ruling the roost. He opened with a multi-point raid, followed by Chetan’s tackle on Anil in a Do-or-Die raid. Another multi-point effort from Bharat – this time in a Do-or-Die raid – inflicted an 'All Out' on U Mumba in the 6th minute.

Skipper Vijay joined the party immediately after the 'All Out' with a successful raid on Rinku, as the Season 2 champions struggled to find their footing.

Anil managed a touch point off Ankit, while Rinku responded with a tackle on Bharat. But Chetan struck again, dismissing Anil, and then turned raider to send Vijay Kumar off the mat, taking the score to 14-5 at the end of the first phase of play.

The rampage continued in the second phase, with another 'All Out' inflicted on U Mumba in the 14th minute. It was a big blow, stretching the scoreline to 18-7. For the side captained by Sunil Kumar, only Satish Kannan looked like a bright spark in the absence of their main raider, Ajit Chouhan.

Bharat Hooda kept piling on the damage in his team’s last outing in Vizag, producing a Super Raid that also brought up his Super 10. His single-handed brilliance left U Mumba reeling, as the scoreboard read 27-11 at halftime, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second half.

U Mumba began well with a Super Tackle led by Sunil Kumar, who brought down Bharat with an impressive move. But unforced errors soon crept in, pushing them towards a third 'All Out'. That moment arrived when skipper Vijay earned a touch point on Satish.

Substitute Amirmohammad Zafardanesh couldn’t turn his team’s fortunes around, as he too was caught by Bharat, widening the lead to 20 points.

He eventually managed to break through with a touch point on Avi Duhan, before Vijay Kumar tackled Bharat to provide U Mumba some much-needed respite. At the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard read 39-21.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, it was all about damage control for U Mumba. Substitute Sandeep made an impact, scoring six raid points for his side. But the Titans weren’t done yet – Shankar Gadai and Ajit Pawar combined to pin down Sandeep for a Super Tackle, further stretching the home team’s lead.

As the match drew to a close, the Titans finally conceded an 'All Out' after Zafardanesh dismissed both Shankar and Ajit in a single raid. U Mumba clawed their way back, cutting the deficit to just eight points, but the gap proved too much to overcome as the Telugu Titans wrapped up their home leg with an impressive victory.