Puneri Paltan completed a season double over the Bengal Warriorz, securing a high-scoring 49-44 victory. Warriorz, captain Devank Dalal delivered an extraordinary single-game effort, amassing 25 raid points and becoming the first player to cross 150 raid points in PKL 12. Despite his monumental haul, the Warriorz, who remain in the bottom half of the table, fell short against the collective effort of the Paltan.
Devank Dalal’s 25 points accounted for over half of his team's total, with the next-best raider, Himanshu Narwal, managing just seven points, displaying the team’s reliance on their captain. Conversely, Paltan’s attack was a shared effort, with Aditya Shinde and Pankaj Mohite both registering Super 10s, with captain Aslam Inamdar adding another seven raid points. This ensured Paltan’s offense remained potent even when one raider was briefly subdued. Coach Ajay Thakur emphasized this plan, "We always divide the raids among our raiders. If there are 30 raids, then each will get 10 each. All three are our raiders, and we will need every one of them during the match."
Paltan took an early lead thanks to Aslam Inamdar’s initial raid and a tackle by Vishal Bhardwaj on Devank Dalal. They began to find their rhythm, securing the first all out courtesy of Abinesh Nadarajan's tackle on Devank, opening up a five-point gap. However, the Warriorz refused to fade. After the break, Devank got revenge for a super tackle by Aslam, managing to get an all out on the Paltan to cut the deficit to 30-27, keeping his side in the hunt until the final quarter.
As the match headed toward a close finish, Aditya Shinde recorded a crucial super raid to complete his Super 10, putting Paltan in a commanding position. This led to their second all out, giving them a decisive 46-35 lead with under five minutes remaining. Pankaj Mohite also completed his Super 10 to put the finishing touches on the win.
Despite the loss, Devank Dalal completed the 20-point mark for the third time this season, a display of individual brilliance which Ajay Thakur acknowledged required a strong counter. "We managed to get touch points from Aslam and Aditya. Those proved to be key points. If we did not get those points, anything could have happened in the contest," Thakur noted. Aditya Shinde, who is now 11th on the league's top raiders list, after missing the previous season due to injury said, "I took time away from the game for rehab and came well equipped for the pre-season camp. I think I impressed my coach, and he motivated me to get better."
