Patna Pirates face Puneri Paltan in Match 99 of PKL 12 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi. The resurgent Patna Pirates (11th position, 5 wins from 15 matches) have suddenly positioned themselves to challenge for Top-8 qualification following back-to-back thrilling victories, facing table-topping Puneri Paltan (1st position, 13 wins from 17 matches), who have already secured Top-8 qualification and are expected to continue testing bench strength and managing squad rotation.

Probable Starting 7

Patna Pirates

  • Right Corner – Navdeep
  • Right In – Mandeep Kumar
  • Right Cover – Vaibhav Garje
  • Centre – Ankit Kumar
  • Left Cover – Balaji D
  • Left In – Ayan (C)
  • Left Corner – Ashish Birwal

Puneri Paltan

  • Right Corner – Dadaso Pujari
  • Right In – Sachin
  • Right Cover – Rohan Tupare
  • Centre – Stuwart Singh
  • Left Cover – Vaibhav Rabade
  • Left In – Abhishek Gunge
  • Left Corner – Mohd Amaan

Headlines

➢ Teams on two opposite sides of the table take on each other

➢ Puneri Paltan are top of the table, have confirmed qualification

➢ They tested out their bench strength in the previous game, expected to do the same again

➢ Paltan's defence has been top of the league, main reason for dominance

➢ Patna Pirates coming off a hard-fought win over Bengal Warriorz

➢ They are currently 11th in the table and have one final chance to make a push for the Top-8

➢ Ayan has been leading their raiding unit, had 27 raid points in the last game

➢ Defence unit let team down, had just 2 tackle points in the second half

Top Stories of the Match

Can Ayan and the Patna Pirates Qualify for the Top-8?

Patna Pirates have suddenly positioned themselves in contention to qualify for the Top-8 this season. They have won back-to-back matches against Bengaluru Bulls and Bengal Warriorz.

Patna Pirates results in last two matches:

M#91 vs Bengal Warriorz: Won 51–49

M#88 vs Bengaluru Bulls: Won 32–32 (tie-breaker 6-5)

Ayan has been the driving force behind this resurgence and has been in outstanding form. He scored 27 raid points on his own in the last match.

Ayan vs Bengal Warriorz M#91:

Raids: 29

Raid points: 27

Raid SR%: 93%

Patna Pirates' raiding unit was on fire, as they accumulated 36 raid points as a team in this game. This represented the most raid points any individual raider has garnered in a match in PKL 12.

Most raid points in a match in PKL 12:

Ayan M#91 vs Bengal Warriorz: 27 raid points at 93% SR

Arjun Deshwal M#69 vs Patna Pirates: 26 raid points at 93% SR

Devank M#91 vs Patna Pirates: 25 raid points at 96% SR

Ayan is just 4 raid points away from becoming only the second player this season to reach 200 raid points. He has the second-best average raid points in the league.

Best average raid points in PKL 12:

Devank: 271 raid points (16.9 average, 74% SR)

Ayan: 196 raid points (13.1 average, 71% SR)

Ashu Malik: 146 raid points (12.2 average, 62% SR)

Ayan has performed well in all three DIP situations, maintaining strike rates of at least 45% in each in PKL 12.

Ayan in PKL 12 (DIP-wise):

6-7 DIP: 159 raids, 129 raid points at 81% SR

4-5 DIP: 78 raids, 38 raid points at 49% SR

2-3 DIP: 39 raids, 27 raid points at 69% SR

He has accumulated the most raid points and possesses the best raid strike rate when there are 4-5 defenders on the mat, amongst all raiders with at least 15 raid points.

Best raid SR% in 4-5 DIP in PKL 12 (15+ raid points):

Ayan: 38 raid points at 49% SR

Shivam Patare: 26 raid points at 46% SR

Ali Samadi: 26 raid points at 44% SR

He was unable to create substantial impact in his first two matches against Puneri Paltan last season. However, when they encountered each other earlier this season, Ayan demonstrated exceptional form, crossing the 20-raid-point mark. He will require a similar performance to help the Pirates secure victory.

Ayan vs Puneri Paltan M#22:

Raids: 24

Raid points: 21

Raid SR%: 88%

Patna Pirates' Defence Needs to Come Together for the Last Phase

Patna Pirates' defence has struggled throughout the season and possesses the lowest average tackle points in the league.

Lowest average tackle points in PKL 12:

Patna Pirates: 8.2 average at 33% SR (15 matches)

UP Yoddhas: 9.1 average at 37% SR (17 matches)

Bengal Warriorz: 9.1 average at 32% SR (16 matches)

After two matches where they reached double-digit tackle points, they have now recorded single-digit tackle points in two consecutive games. Despite securing two victories, their tackle strike rate has remained below 30% in both matches.

Patna Pirates defence in last four games:

vs Bengal Warriorz M#91: 29 tackles, 8 tackle points at 28% SR

vs Bengaluru Bulls M#88: 25 tackles, 6 tackle points at 24% SR

vs Gujarat Giants M#83: 24 tackles, 10 tackle points at 42% SR

vs Haryana Steelers M#81: 22 tackles, 10 tackle points at 45% SR

Patna Pirates commence both halves positively but experience substantial decline in tackle strike rate during the second 10-minute intervals of each half.

Patna Pirates defence in PKL 12 (by intervals):

1-10 mins: 36 tackle points at 39% SR

11-20 mins: 23 tackle points at 26% SR

21-30 mins: 34 tackle points at 40% SR

31-40 mins: 30 tackle points at 28% SR

Corners Ankit and Navdeep have made meaningful contributions, with both accumulating more than 30 tackle points this season.

Patna Pirates corners in PKL 12:

Navdeep: 38 tackle points (2.7 average, 45% SR)

Ankit: 37 tackle points (2.5 average, 44% SR)

Navdeep has demonstrated excellence in the second half of the tournament and maintains strike rates exceeding 50% in the last 8 matches.

Navdeep in PKL 12 (last 8 matches):

Tackles: 46

Tackle points: 24

Average tackle points: 3.4

Tackle SR%: 52%

Ankit represents a seasoned veteran who has performed for Patna Pirates throughout multiple seasons. He peaks during the first 10 minutes of matches, with his tackle strike rate gradually declining in subsequent intervals.

Ankit defence in PKL 12 (by intervals):

1-10 mins: 11 tackle points at 55% SR

11-20 mins: 6 tackle points at 38% SR

21-30 mins: 11 tackle points at 42% SR

31-40 mins: 9 tackle points at 39% SR

Against Puneri Paltan's dominant offence led by Aditya Shinde, Patna Pirates' defensive unit must collectively elevate their performance or face another defeat.

Puneri Paltan Testing Bench Strength After Qualifying

Puneri Paltan occupy the table summit and have already secured Top-8 qualification, demonstrating their dominance this season.

Puneri Paltan in PKL 12:

Matches: 17

Wins: 13

Losses: 4

Win percentage: 76%

Having already qualified for the Top-8, they rested their primary lineup in the previous match and deployed their bench strength. Their defence has represented their primary weapon, standing unquestionably as the league's best defensive unit.

They maintain the best average tackle points and second-best tackle strike rate in the league this season.

Best average tackle points in PKL 12:

Puneri Paltan: 12.2 average at 47% SR

U Mumba: 11.4 average at 44% SR

Gujarat Giants: 11.3 average at 48% SR

Gaurav Khatri has emerged as Puneri Paltan's premier defender and recently reached 50 tackle points in the last game. He became the third defender to accomplish this milestone this season.

Most tackle points in PKL 12:

Nitesh Kumar: 62 tackle points

Jaideep: 54 tackle points

Gaurav Khatri: 50 tackle points

Recently, they have introduced Vaibhav Rabade at left cover, and he has made an impressive start this season, securing a High 5 in his first match against Jaipur Pink Panthers. He subsequently registered 2 tackle points in their previous match.

Vaibhav Rabade in PKL 12:

M#86 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers: 6 tackle points at 86% SR

M#95 vs Telugu Titans: 2 tackle points at 40% SR

Aditya Shinde has served as their lead raider whilst Pankaj Mohite has contributed as the secondary raider.

Puneri Paltan raiders in PKL 12:

Aditya Shinde: 118 raid points (7.9 average, 64% SR)

Pankaj Mohite: 99 raid points (6.2 average, 49% SR)

Puneri Paltan have demonstrated offensive excellence as a unit in PKL 12, maintaining a raid strike rate exceeding 50%.

Puneri Paltan raiding in PKL 12:

Matches: 17

Raid points: 360

Average raid points: 21.2

Raid SR%: 51%

Team Stories

Patna Pirates – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results:

M#91 vs Bengal Warriorz – Won 51–49

M#88 vs Bengaluru Bulls – Won 32–32 (tie-breaker 6-5)

M#83 vs Gujarat Giants – Lost 32–40

M#81 vs Haryana Steelers – Lost 32–39

M#69 vs Tamil Thalaivas – Lost 37–56

Patna Pirates have orchestrated back-to-back thrilling victories to position themselves with legitimate Top-8 qualification aspirations. They defeated Bengal Warriorz in their last match in a contest that extended to the final moments.

Ayan placed the team upon his shoulders, scoring 27 raid points—the highest individual contribution by any raider in a single match this season. He has directed the Patna Pirates raiding unit throughout the entire campaign. However, their defence continues demonstrating potential to perform significantly better and must elevate if they seek Top-8 qualification in upcoming matches.

Puneri Paltan – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results:

M#95 vs Telugu Titans – Lost 31–40

M#86 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – Won 57–33

M#79 vs Dabang Delhi – Won 38–38 (tie-breaker 6-5)

M#78 vs Tamil Thalaivas – Won 36–23

M#72 vs U Mumba – Won 37–27

Puneri Paltan occupy the league's summit and have secured Top-8 confirmation. Following their bench-strengthening exercise in the previous match, they experienced a loss to Telugu Titans after maintaining a seven-match winning streak.

Paltan's defence represents the league's standout unit and has constituted the foundation of their championship-calibre season. Gaurav Khatri leads the defensive contingent, recently achieving the 50-tackle-point milestone. Aditya Shinde captains their raiding operations with effectiveness and consistency.

Head-to-Head in PKL

Overall: Matches – 25 | Patna Pirates – 15 | Puneri Paltan – 6 | Tied – 4

Patna Pirates maintain historical dominance, having won 15 of the 25 encounters between these franchises. They contested the semi-final in PKL 10, which Puneri Paltan won before eventually securing the tournament championship.

Earlier this season, they encountered each other once, with Patna Pirates orchestrating a stunning upset, claiming their inaugural victory following three consecutive defeats. Ayan delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 21 raid points independently to guide the team to victory.

Recent Form (Last 5 meetings):

M#22 PKL 12: Patna Pirates won 48–37

M#116 PKL 11: Patna Pirates won 37–32

M#8 PKL 11: Puneri Paltan won 25–40

Semi-final 1 PKL 10: Puneri Paltan won 21–37

M#91 PKL 10: Tied 32–32

Key Player Battles

Patna Pirates' Raiders vs Puneri Paltan's Defenders

Ayan 2–0 Abinesh Nadarajan

Ayan 4–3 Gaurav Khatri

Puneri Paltan's Raiders vs Patna Pirates' Defenders

Aslam Inamdar 4–0 Balaji D

Pankaj Mohite 3–5 Ankit

Pankaj Mohite 3–1 Balaji D

What to Expect

This encounter presents contrasting narratives – Patna Pirates making a determined final Top-8 push against table-topping Puneri Paltan who have already secured Top-8 qualification and possess the luxury of team rotation and experimentation.

The critical matchup centres on Ayan's raiding prowess versus Puneri Paltan's elite defensive unit. Ayan's exceptional form—evidenced by his 27-point performance against Bengal Warriorz and 21-point contribution in the reverse fixture against Paltan—suggests he possesses capacity to penetrate their defence. His head-to-head records (4-3 vs Gaurav Khatri, 2-0 vs Abinesh Nadarajan) demonstrate competitive encounters at minimum.

However, Puneri Paltan's defensive excellence—maintaining the league's best average tackle points at 12.2 per game—presents formidable obstacles. Gaurav Khatri (50 tackle points), Vishal Bhardwaj (34 tackles points in 16 PKL 12 matches), and the newly introduced Vaibhav Rabade (emerging talent at 63% strike rate) form a cohesive unit designed to suppress individual raider brilliance.

Patna Pirates' defensive limitations—the league's worst at 8.2 average tackle points—present critical vulnerability. Against Puneri Paltan's highly proficient raiding unit (360 raid points across 17 matches at 51% strike rate), led by Aditya Shinde (118 points at 64%) and Pankaj Mohite (99 points), their defensive failings could prove decisive.

Puneri Paltan's decision to rest key personnel represents a calculated strategic gamble. Playing fringe squad members provides opportunity for squad development but simultaneously introduces offensive inconsistency that Patna Pirates could potentially exploit.

Ayan's momentum—evidenced by consecutive outstanding performances and his proximity to the 200-raid-point milestone—provides psychological confidence. However, Patna Pirates' perennial defensive vulnerabilities, particularly their 26% average tackle strike rate during second intervals of each half, suggest they possess insufficient defensive credentials to contain the Paltan onslaught over 40 minutes.

Expect Puneri Paltan to prevail, though potentially by narrower margins than anticipated given their bench-strength deployment. The Paltan's defensive infrastructure should prove too formidable for the Pirates to overcome, irrespective of Ayan's individual excellence. This represents a missed opportunity for Patna's Top-8 ambitions, though Ayan's spectacular form may inspire deeper Top-8 tournament contributions should they achieve qualification through alternative pathways.

Match Details

  • Match: Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan – Match 99, PKL Season 12
  • Date: Sunday, 19th October 2025
  • Time: 9:30 PM IST
  • Venue: Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi
  • LIVE Streaming: Watch LIVE on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. For LIVE scores and updates, visit prokabaddi.com or download the Pro Kabaddi Official App.

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