PKL 2025: Puneri Paltan inflicts crushing defeat on Gujarat Giants; UP Yoddhas mounts late comeback against Patna Pirates
Puneri Paltan moved to the top of the table after a thumping victory over Gujarat Giants at the Viswanadh Sports Club in Visakhapatnam. Earlier in the day, UP Yoddhas staged a late comeback against Patna Pirates to secure a second consecutive win.
Defenders Sumit, Ashu shine on the night as UP Yoddhas claw their way back against Patna Pirates
A hard-fought comeback from the UP Yoddhas saw it beat the Patna Pirates 34-31 in a closely-fought contest. Sumit and Ashu Singh got much-deserved High Fives, while Gagan Gowda scored seven points as the Yoddhas secured an impressive victory.
Patna Pirates edged ahead in the early stages of the clash. Patna’s young raider Ayan Lohchab was the standout performer in this phase, notching up three raid points and twice sending the Yoddhas defenders to the bench.
The Yoddhas found some respite late in the half when Ayan was finally trapped in a Super Tackle, but by then, Patna had built a commanding lead. At halftime, the score read 19-13 in favour of the Pirates, with Ayan leading the charge with eight raid points.
The Yoddhas, however, refused to back down. Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda added crucial raid points to keep their side in the hunt, and Sumit pulled off a fine tackle on Ayan to halt the Pirates’ momentum. With both sides trading empty raids and defences tightening up, the margin remained slender, setting the stage for a tense final phase.
However, the Yoddhas kept its cool to the very end. Despite being on the back foot for most of the match, it was in the final 10 minutes that it managed to claw its way back to prevent Ayan from completing his Super 10 and sealing their second victory of the season after beating Patna Pirates 34-31.
Commanding all-round performance guides Puneri Paltan to mammoth 22-point victory over Gujarat Giants
Puneri Paltan delivered a defensive masterclass to record a massive 22-point win against Gujarat Giants on Monday night’s second game. The Season 10 champion was dominant on both ends of the mat as it registered a 41-19 victory.
Abinesh Nadarajan led the way with a High Five, while Gaurav Khatri and Gurdeep recorded four tackle points each. Aslam Inamdar, Aditya Shinde and Pankaj Mohite also contributed to the team as it ran riot against the Gujarat Giants
The side led by Aslam Inamdar soon started asserting its dominance even further as Abinesh Nadarajan completed his High Five with five minutes remaining in the first half. Pankaj Mohite also piled on the pressure on Gujarat Giants, amassing the 400-point mark in the PKL. At the end of the first half, Puneri Paltan had a six-point lead with the scoreline at 17-11. It continued to be relentless on both ends in the second half, giving the Gujarat Giants no breathing room.
Gujarat Giants had no answer to Puneri Paltan’s pressure. Captain Mohammadreza Shadloui ended the game with zero points to his name for the first time since season 8, summing up Puneri Paltan’s dominance.
In the end, the Ajay Thakur-coached side put the game beyond all doubt and wrapped up a commanding performance with a 22-point win, as the scoreline read 41-19.
Published on Sep 01, 2025