Striking balance: Well-rounded Puneri Paltan looks to go all the way in PKL 2025
Puneri Paltan has been one of the most well-rounded teams in this edition of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
While captain Pankaj Mohite and Aditya Shinde do the heavy lifting offensively, an equally equipped, if not superior, defence system has been its pillar of strength.
Led by the talented Gaurav Khatri, Paltan have the best tackle average (12.1) in the league, including a season-best 20 tackle points against U Mumba.
Paltan’s defensive prowess was on full flow at the SDAT Multipurpose Stadium in Chennai on Saturday when the team beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 41-36.
“Happy with the win. We dominated right from the start till the end of the first half. Barring a superb individual performance from Ali Samadi, we pretty much had answers to everything that they threw at us,” said Puneri’s head coach, Ajay Thakur, after the game.
With four tackle points, as opposed to just one from Pink Panthers, Paltan dominated the first half as the scorecard read 25-12 in favour of Gaurav’s men at halftime.
The second half, however, saw a breathtaking resurgence from Jaipur Pink Panthers, fuelled by an individual masterclass from Ali Samadi Choubtarash.
The Iranian raider, demonstrating phenomenal skill and resilience, began to systematically dismantle Puneri’s defence. Samadi’s relentless raids racked up points, chipping away at the massive deficit until the momentum had completely shifted.
Pink Panthers clawed their way back into the game, and with just around six minutes remaining, they were closing in on their opposition, trailing by just one point.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a famous adage and just like that, an unlikely hero emerged for Paltan.
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After Samadi’s rampage, Mohit Goyat, one of Paltan’s most successful raiders, was left stranded alongside defender Dadaso Pujari. With Samadi running towards them with fire in his eyes, it was all or nothing for Paltan.
Instead of taking the safer route of letting time pass by, when Samadi entered deep into the box, Mohit initiated a dash from right to left which aided Pujari in completing his ankle hold on Samadi and securing a crucial super tackle which changed the course of play.
It was followed up by another super tackle by Mohit, helping Thakur’s side gain a five-point advantage with under a minute to go.
Mohit finished with seven points, while Aditya and Pankaj scored a combined 21 raid points as Paltan crossed the line in a nervy affair.
“If not for that super tackle, definitely, 101 per cent, we would have lost the match. That helped us extend our lead. Not just that, a couple of minutes later, Mohit got yet another super tackle which pretty much sealed the game for us,” said Thakur.
With nine wins in 12 games, Paltan currently sit second on the points table, behind Dabang Delhi. With a balanced squad depth and proper workload management, Thakur’s men will look to build on the momentum and go all the way.
Published on Oct 05, 2025