PKL 12 Eliminator 3 Preview: Telugu Titans vs Patna Pirates – Ayan chases history as Pirates target third straight final

Telugu Titans face Patna Pirates in Eliminator 3 of PKL 12 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi. The Titans (4th position, 11 wins from 19 matches) defeated Bengaluru Bulls in the Mini Qualifier, confronting the rampant Pirates (7th position, 10 wins from 19 matches) who extended their winning streak to eight matches after defeating Bengaluru Bulls in Eliminator 2. This encounter presents a compelling narrative as Ayan stands just 6 raid points away from becoming only the fifth player in PKL history to score 300 raid points in a season, whilst coach Randeep Dalal's transformation of Patna Pirates continues their remarkable playoff surge.

Probable Starting 7

Telugu Titans Right Corner – Shubham Shinde Right In – Bharat Right Cover – Avi Duhan Centre – Chetan Sahu Left Cover – Ajit Pawar Left In – Vijay Malik (C) Left Corner – Ankit

Patna Pirates Right Corner – Navdeep Right In – Milan Dahiya Right Cover – Deepak Centre – Ankit Kumar Left Cover – Balaji D Left In – Ayan Left Corner – Ankit (C)

Headlines

➢ Ayan on track to become just 5th player with 300 points in a season in PKL

➢ Patna Pirates are currently on an 8-match winning streak in PKL 12

➢ Pirates defeated Bengaluru Bulls comfortably in Eliminator 2

➢ Navdeep has had High 5s in back-to-back matches

➢ Coach Randeep Dalal has changed fortunes of the Pirates this season

➢ Telugu Titans' raiding duo Vijay Malik and Bharat shined to take them to this stage

➢ Both raiders had Super 10s in last match against the Bengaluru Bulls

➢ Titans beat Bengaluru Bulls in the Mini Qualifier to reach this stage

➢ Defence faltered in the last match, will want to come back to form

➢ Corners Shubham Shinde and Ankit key to Titans' defensive hopes

Team Stories

Telugu Titans – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results: Mini Qualifier vs Bengaluru Bulls – Won 37–32 M#103 vs Haryana Steelers – Lost 34–45 M#97 vs Gujarat Giants – Won 30–25 M#95 vs Puneri Paltan – Won 40–31 M#89 vs U Mumba – Lost 26–33

Telugu Titans find themselves just 2 wins away from a place in the final after beating the Bengaluru Bulls in the Mini Qualifier. Their raiding duo of Vijay Malik and Bharat were on fire, as both of them had Super 10s in the last game, and were the main reason for the victory. Vijay Malik had 8 bonus points on his own in the game.

Their defence was not in form in the last game, but luckily the defenders from the bench stepped up to compensate. Coach Krishna Kumar Hooda has turned around their fortunes in just two seasons. They now have to beat Patna Pirates, a team they beat already in the league stage. However, the defence will need to be much better this game. It will fall upon corners Ankit and Shubham Shinde to take the initiative.

Titans' Defence Needs to Bounce Back Quickly

The Telugu Titans' defence had a poor performance in the previous match and won the match despite that. The four starting defenders combined for just 4 tackle points. Luckily, defenders from the bench came on to add another 5 tackle points for the team.

Titans' defence vs Bulls in Mini Qualifier: Tackles: 26 Tackle points: 9 Tackle SR%: 35%

Telugu Titans' defence has been average, but they had a strong finish to the season. As a collective, they have done well in supporting their raiders.

Telugu Titans defence in PKL 12: Matches: 19 Tackle points: 208 Average tackle points: 10.9 Tackle SR%: 43%

Telugu Titans have won 11 games overall. Their defence has been key in supporting Vijay Malik and Bharat to pull off such an amazing streak.

Telugu Titans defence in PKL 12: Wins (11 matches): 268 tackles, 130 tackle points (11.8 average, 48% SR) Losses (8 matches): 210 tackles, 78 tackle points (9.8 average, 37% SR)

Corners Shubham Shinde and Ankit have been their best defenders so far. All 4 defenders have a tackle SR% greater than 40% but lesser than 50%, which indicates a team performance rather than individual brilliance.

Telugu Titans defence in PKL 12: Ankit: 47 tackle points (2.5 average, 46% SR) Shubham Shinde: 45 tackle points (2.4 average, 48% SR) Ajit Pawar: 35 tackle points (1.8 average, 46% SR) Avi Duhan: 28 tackle points (1.6 average, 42% SR)

Ankit has shown significant performance improvement from last season, increasing both his average tackle points and tackle SR%. But what stands out is his contribution through assists, which has jumped up by a huge number this season.

Ankit in PKL (season-wise): PKL 11: 42 tackle points (2.0 average, 41% SR, 5 assists) PKL 12: 47 tackle points (2.5 average, 46% SR, 41 assists)

Ankit is much better in the second half as compared to the first half this season.

Ankit defence by half in PKL 12: 1st half: 17 tackle points at 39% SR 2nd half: 30 tackle points at 52% SR

Ajit Pawar has the most assists for Telugu Titans with 58 assists to his name. Shubham Shinde is good when there are 2-3 defenders and has a tackle SR% greater than 75% in that DIP situation in PKL 12.

Shubham Shinde defence DIP-wise in PKL 12: 6-7 DIP: 23 tackle points at 44% SR 4-5 DIP: 12 tackle points at 41% SR 2-3 DIP: 10 tackle points at 77% SR

Telugu Titans have the third-lowest tackle SR% in 4-5 DIP, and Ayan, who they will be up against, has the most raid points and the 2nd best raid SR% in these situations.

Lowest tackle SR% in 4-5 DIP in PKL 12: Bengal Warriorz: 43 tackle points at 37% SR Haryana Steelers: 48 tackle points at 39% SR Telugu Titans: 60 tackle points at 42% SR

Patna Pirates – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results: Eliminator 2 vs Bengaluru Bulls – Won 46–37 Eliminator 1 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – Won 48–32 Play In 2 vs U Mumba – Won 40–31 M#108 vs Bengaluru Bulls – Won 33–18 M#105 vs Dabang Delhi – Won 61–26

Patna Pirates are the most in-form team in the tournament currently, with 8 consecutive wins coming into this match. They only barely made it to the playoffs, but they have been unstoppable in the playoffs, and showed it again with a comfortable win over the Bengaluru Bulls in the last game.

Ayan was outstanding again and had 19 raid points on his own. He could reach 300 raid points in the league this season, becoming only the 5th player in PKL history to reach that mark. Navdeep brought up his third consecutive High 5 in the playoffs, and has shown that he is up to the task. Deepak also contributed with a High 5 of his own.

Patna Pirates had a terrible start to the season, winning just 2 of their first 9 games and playoffs looked far away. But new coach Randeep Dalal has been excellent for the team, improving their defence, which was their biggest weakness in the league.

Navdeep Leading the Pirates' Defence with Three Consecutive High 5s

The Patna Pirates defence is peaking at the right time. They have had double-digit tackle points in each of the last five games, with a tackle SR% greater than 50% in four of the games.

Patna Pirates defence in the last five games: vs BB Eliminator 2: 28 tackles, 11 tackle points at 39% SR vs JPP Eliminator 1: 19 tackles, 11 tackle points at 58% SR vs U Mumba Play In 2: 28 tackles, 16 tackle points at 57% SR vs Bengaluru Bulls M#108: 19 tackles, 11 tackle points at 58% SR vs Dabang Delhi M#105: 25 tackles, 14 tackle points at 56% SR

Navdeep has been the best defender for Patna Pirates this season and has gotten a High 5 in all three playoff matches this season. He has now scored consecutive High 5s in three crucial matches for the team.

Navdeep performance last three matches: Eliminator 2 vs Bengaluru Bulls: 5 tackle points at 71% SR Eliminator 1 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers: 6 tackle points at 86% SR Play In vs U Mumba: 7 tackle points at 87% SR

In the last match, their defence had a tough moment and gave away 7 points in a single raid. They should be careful not to repeat such errors as it can become costly.

Navdeep and Ankit have been performing consistently throughout the season. Ankit scored 4 tackle points against U Mumba, 2 tackle points against the Panthers and ably supported Navdeep and Ayan.

Patna Pirates corners in PKL 12: Navdeep: 68 tackle points (3.4 average, 56% SR) Ankit: 51 tackle points (2.4 average, 45% SR)

Navdeep's performance is much better in the second half than in the first half this season. He has a tackle success rate (SR%) of more than 60% in the second half. In fact, his first 10 minutes are his worst in terms of tackle SR% and points scored; he scores well in the second half, especially the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Navdeep performance by half PKL 12: 1st half: 26 tackle points at 47% SR 2nd half: 42 tackle points at 64% SR

Navdeep defence in PKL 12 by intervals: 1-10 mins: 12 tackle points at 41% SR 11-20 mins: 14 tackle points at 54% SR 21-30 mins: 20 tackle points at 69% SR 31-40 mins: 22 tackle points at 59% SR

His other corner defender, Ankit, is at his best in the first 10 minutes of games, and then the tackle SR% slowly drops down in the other 3 intervals.

Ankit defence in PKL 12 by intervals: 1-10 mins: 17 tackle points at 61% SR 11-20 mins: 9 tackle points at 47% SR 21-30 mins: 14 tackle points at 39% SR 31-40 mins: 11 tackle points at 35% SR

Patna Pirates have tried multiple cover defenders without any luck, as none of them have been able to create a proper impact. None of them has a tackle SR% of even 40% this season. Only Deepak has had a meaningful contribution in terms of tackle points with 32 points. But they have contributed with assists, Deepak leading with 41 assists, Sanket and Balaji D with 27 and 32 assists respectively.

Patna Pirates covers in PKL 12: Deepak: 32 tackle points (1.6 average, 36% SR) Vaibhav Garje: 6 tackle points (0.7 average, 29% SR) Sanket Sawant: 5 tackle points (0.5 average, 18% SR) Balaji D: 3 tackle points (0.2 average, 10% SR)

Deepak did well against Bengaluru Bulls in the last match, scoring 6 points.

Deepak vs Bengaluru Bulls Eliminator 2: Tackles: 7 Tackle points: 5 Tackle SR%: 71%

Head-to-Head in PKL

The head-to-head battle is closely fought between the two teams throughout the history of PKL, and in recent times. They have an almost identical head-to-head record despite having met 26 times so far in PKL. This is the first time the two sides will be meeting in the playoffs.

They met once earlier this season, when Telugu Titans beat the Patna Pirates comfortably. Vijay Malik and Ayan got Super 10s for their respective teams with decent support from support raiders. However, defence was where the difference was. Telugu Titans had 14 tackle points compared to just 3 tackle points for the Patna Pirates.

Recent Form (Last 5 meetings): M#55 PKL 12: Telugu Titans won 37–28 M#120 PKL 11: Patna Pirates won 41–37 M#22 PKL 11: Telugu Titans won 28–26 M#119 PKL 10: Patna Pirates won 38–36 M#8 PKL 10: Patna Pirates won 50–28

Key Player Battles

Telugu Titans Raiders vs Patna Pirates Defenders Vijay Malik 1–1 Navdeep Bharat 2–0 Ankit Vijay Malik 2–0 Ankit

Patna Pirates Raiders vs Telugu Titans Defenders Ayan 3–1 Shubham Shinde Ayan 1–0 Ankit Ayan 2–1 Avi Duhan

What to Expect

This Eliminator 3 presents a compelling knockout encounter between two teams with contrasting trajectories—Patna Pirates arriving with an eight-match winning streak and formidable playoff momentum against Telugu Titans who have demonstrated capacity to upset through their dynamic raiding combination. The narrative centres on Ayan's pursuit of historic individual achievement (300 raid points) whilst coach Randeep Dalal seeks to continue Patna's remarkable transformation from bottom-placed strugglers to playoff contenders.

The central contest revolves around Ayan's exceptional raiding prowess versus Telugu Titans' corner combination of Shubham Shinde and Ankit. Ayan's remarkable form—evidenced by his 294 raid points at 72% strike rate and 15 Super 10s—positions him as the tournament's leading raider. His versatility across all DIP situations (85% in 6-7 DIP, 78% in 2-3 DIP, 45% in 4-5 DIP) demonstrates capacity to penetrate defensive structures regardless of configuration.

However, Ayan's previous encounter against Telugu Titans this season (13 raid points at 81% strike rate) demonstrates both his effectiveness and the Titans' capacity to limit his impact through disciplined defensive work. The head-to-head records (3-1 vs Shubham Shinde, 2-1 vs Avi Duhan) suggest competitive encounters where Titans' defenders have occasionally contained him, though Ayan maintains overall superiority.

Telugu Titans' raiding combination presents formidable opposition despite their DIP-specific vulnerabilities. Vijay Malik's 152 raid points (8.0 average) and Bharat's 184 raid points (9.7 average) create dual threats that Patna's vulnerable defence must contain. Their performance in the Mini Qualifier—both achieving Super 10s with strike rates exceeding 70%—demonstrates peak form entering this encounter.

The critical tactical dimension centres on DIP-specific strengths and weaknesses. Patna Pirates possess the 3rd lowest tackle strike rate in 6-7 DIP situations, precisely where both Vijay Malik (57% raid strike rate in 6-7 DIP) and particularly Bharat (81% raid strike rate in 6-7 DIP) excel. Conversely, Telugu Titans possess the 2nd lowest raid strike rate in 4-5 DIP situations (21%), exactly where Ayan maintains effectiveness (45% raid strike rate, most raid points in league in this configuration).

The defensive matchup strongly favours Patna Pirates. Navdeep's extraordinary playoff form—three consecutive High 5s with tackle strike rates of 71%, 86%, and 87% respectively—provides defensive reliability that Telugu Titans' inconsistent defence cannot match. Titans' defensive performance in the Mini Qualifier (9 tackle points at 35% strike rate) despite victory demonstrates vulnerability that Ayan can exploit mercilessly.

Telugu Titans' defensive statistics reveal concerning patterns. Their corners—Shubham Shinde (2.4 average, 48% strike rate) and Ankit (2.5 average, 46% strike rate)—whilst competent individually, lack the playoff-tested reliability that Navdeep has demonstrated. More critically, their 4-5 DIP defensive vulnerability (42% strike rate, third-lowest in league) directly contradicts Ayan's strength in precisely this configuration.

The psychological dimension cannot be overlooked. Patna's momentum—eight consecutive victories including three playoff triumphs—creates confidence that Telugu Titans' inconsistent recent form (2 losses in last 4 league matches before Mini Qualifier victory) cannot match. Randeep Dalal's defensive specialisation has transformed Patna's tackle strike rate from 36% in league stage to 51% in playoffs, demonstrating tactical mastery that Krishna Kumar Hooda must counter.

However, Telugu Titans possess realistic upset potential. Their previous victory over Patna this season (37-28 in M#55) demonstrates schematic understanding—achieving 14 tackle points whilst Patna managed merely 3. If Titans' defence can replicate this performance whilst Vijay Malik and Bharat exploit Patna's 6-7 DIP vulnerability, they possess capacity to neutralise Ayan's individual brilliance.

Expect a closely contested encounter determined by Patna's defensive improvements versus Telugu Titans' capacity to maintain bonus-line dominance. Ayan's pursuit of 300 raid points provides additional motivation beyond team success, whilst Vijay Malik's bonus-line specialisation (65 bonus points, 2nd most in league) creates tactical countermeasure opportunities. The winner will likely be determined by which defence elevates performance beyond season-long inconsistencies.

Patna's superior momentum, Navdeep's extraordinary playoff form, and Ayan's peak individual performance suggest they possess significant advantage. However, Telugu Titans' raiding duo's capacity to dominate when bonus line is active, combined with their previous victory over Patna, provides cautionary evidence against dismissing their championship aspirations. Dalal's defensive transformation suggests Patna possesses marginal psychological and tactical advantages that should propel them towards their third consecutive PKL final.

Match Details

Match: Telugu Titans vs Patna Pirates – Eliminator 3, PKL Season 12
Date: Tuesday, 28th October 2025
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi LIVE Streaming:
Watch LIVE on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar.
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Related tags:

PKL Eliminator 2 Highlights: Patna Pirates vs Bengaluru Bulls | Pro Kabaddi Season 12 | Hindi

PKL Qualifier 1 Highlights: Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi K.C. | Pro Kabaddi Season 12 | Hindi

PKL Season 12 Eliminator 3 Preview: Telugu Titans vs Patna Pirates – Winner To Face Puneri Paltan in Qualifier 2

Probable Starting 7

Headlines

Top Stories of the Match

Ayan on Track to Become Just 5th Player with 300 Points in a Season in PKL

Can the Titans' Raiding Duo Continue to Deliver?

Resurgence of Patna Pirates Under Coach Randeep Dalal

Team Stories

Telugu Titans – PKL 12 So Far

Titans' Defence Needs to Bounce Back Quickly

Patna Pirates – PKL 12 So Far

Navdeep Leading the Pirates' Defence with Three Consecutive High 5s

Head-to-Head in PKL

Key Player Battles

What to Expect

Match Details

Related tags:

Latest Updates

Dabang Delhi K.C. book finals berth after clinching thrilling tiebreaker win against Puneri Paltan in Qualifier 1

Another Ayan masterclass helps Patna Pirates win eight on the trot, beat Bengaluru Bulls to reach Eliminator 3

PKL Season 12 Qualifier 1 Preview: Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi K.C. – Table Toppers Face Second-Placed Rivals

PKL Season 12 Eliminator 2 Preview: Patna Pirates vs Bengaluru Bulls – Unstoppable Ayan Faces Indomitable Bulls Defence

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