PKL-12: Aditya Shines as Puneri Paltan Beat U Mumba by 10 Points

Powered by Aditya Shinde’s brilliant 14-point performance, Puneri Paltan defeated U Mumba by a margin of 37-27 in the 72nd match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12, played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday.

This was Paltan’s 10th win in 13 matches and their fourth consecutive victory, while U Mumba suffered their sixth loss in 12 matches.

Along with Aditya, Pankaj Mohite (4 points), captain Aslam Inamdar (5 points), and Dadasa Pujari (3 points) also made key contributions for Paltan. For U Mumba, Ajit Chauhan registered a Super 10, while Sandeep collected seven points. With this win, Puneri Paltan further strengthened their position at second place in the points table.

U Mumba’s defense started strongly by dismissing Aslam on the very first raid, and Ajit followed it up with a Super Raid, giving Mumba a 4-0 lead and putting Paltan into a Super Tackle situation. However, Aditya rescued his side from the pressure and revived Aslam. Aslam picked up a bonus point, but Sandeep tackled him immediately. Aditya continued scoring steadily, helping Paltan level the score at 5-5. At the end of the first quarter, Mumba held a narrow 8-6 lead.

The second quarter remained tight and low-scoring, as both teams avoided taking risks — most raids turned into Do-or-Die situations. During one such raid, Paltan’s defense tackled Jafar, reducing the gap to 10-11. Soon after, Aditya dismissed Sunil in another crucial raid, leveling the score and pushing Mumba into a Super Tackle position.

Paltan’s defense then tackled Ajit, taking the lead for the first time, and Pankaj Mohite wiped out Mumba’s entire lineup in a single raid to make it 16-11. Paltan went into the halftime break with a five-point lead.

After the break, Mumba scored three consecutive points to narrow the gap to just two, but Paltan responded quickly to restore a four-point cushion. Ajit then earned two points in a single raid to reduce the difference again.

At a crucial stage, Aditya scored against four defenders, pushing Mumba into another Super Tackle situation, but Ajit managed to escape it with a successful raid. Moments later, Ajit scored again to make it 21-22 after 30 minutes of play.

Jafar’s tackle on Pankaj leveled the score, and then Sandeep’s successful raid gave Mumba a one-point lead while putting Paltan in a Super Tackle position. Paltan capitalized on the opportunity, executing the Super Tackle to regain the lead. Around this time, Aditya completed his Super 10.

Paltan’s defense dismissed Jafar to make it 28-24, and soon after, Sunil was self-out during Aditya’s raid, leaving Mumba with only two players on the mat. With just a minute remaining and a five-point advantage, Paltan seized control, inflicting an all-out to seal a comfortable 37-27 victory.