With its new format, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 is ready to witness its play-in matches for the first time ever. The stage is set for four teams – Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba and Patna Pirates – as they prepare to battle it out for survival at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

The first play-in match will witness Haryana Steelers take on the Jaipur Pink Panthers, while the second game will see U Mumba take on the Patna Pirates. Ahead of the play-ins, the captains of the four teams shared their thoughts as they prepared for win-or-go-home scenarios. Jaideep Dahiya, the skipper for the defending champions was quick to lay down the marker, stating that his side are adamant to defend the trophy.

He said, “It’s a win or go home match. If we aren’t focused, we’ll be back home. So, we have to do well. There is no margin for error. We lost five in Chennai and made a comeback in Delhi. We’ve got some rhythm as a team now and everyone is in form. We’re here to defend the trophy. Our aim is to win the final again and we’ll give it our all to retain it.”

Meanwhile, their opponents in the first play-in, the Jaipur Pink Panthers endured a tricky league stage of the season and are now prepared to fight for the ultimate prize. Reflecting on their season so far, their captain, Nitin Rawal shared, “We had good momentum in the start and then Nitin Dhankar got injured, so we had a bit of a dip. So, because of that we lost some close matches and lost momentum as a result. We could have made it to the top four, but we couldn’t achieve that. We’re in the top eight and we’re glad because we still have a chance to fight for the trophy.”

Also sharing his experience of working with head coach Narender Redhu, Rawal added, “Redhu sir is a unique coach. He always tells us to give our best in every game and keeps us motivated. I’ve played under different coaches, but playing under Redhu sir is a different experience. That’s the feeling in the team as well, and we have to do well in the upcoming matches.”

Preparing for the second play-in match, U Mumba captain Sunil Kumar was left ruing a missed opportunity to confirm their place in the top four. However, he was quick to refocus on the task at hand.

“We’re upset with the result in our final league stage game. That was a missed opportunity to seal our place in the top four. However, we still have a chance with participation in the play-ins, and we can make it to the playoffs. Our focus will be on taking it one game at a time and win all our matches”, the most successful captain of the league reckoned.

Their opponents, the Patna Pirates have momentum on their side, after winning five matches in a row to make it to the play-ins. With five games to go in the league stage, they had a one percent charge of qualifying. However, they managed to script a memorable turnaround to get their title hopes alive.

Looking back at the team’s performance in the last five matches and the season in general, their captain, Ankit Jaglan said, “We still had the belief and backing of the management. The coach always told us to give it our best and fight till the end. The players played well in the final stretch of games, and that’s why we won our matches.”

“Every game is still a do-or-die game for us still. So, we want to continue building on this momentum”, he concluded.

Please find below the previews for the PKL Season 12 matches on Saturday, October 25:

With their title on the line, Haryana Steelers will take on the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first play-in matchup. Both teams have had their ups and downs this season, but have enough in their locker to go the distance. For the defending champions, their defence leads the way with Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal, while the likes of Shivam Patare and Vinay handle the offense. As for the Pink Panthers, their two raiders, Nitin Dhankar and Ali Samadi will be key to their chances.

U Mumba will take on an in-form Patna Pirates team in the second play-in matches. The season two champions found a reliable raiding duo in Ajit Chouhan and Sandeep Kumar over the course of the season, and have enough experience in their side as well. Their opponents, on the other hand, have momentum on their side and will be high on confidence after winning five games in a row, setting up an intriguing clash.

Tickets are available on District by Zomato, the official ticketing platform for PKL Season 12: https://www.district.in/events/pkl-2025-delhi-team

Follow Pro Kabaddi onInstagram,Facebook,X &YouTube for all the latest updates!

The Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 is being broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar from 7:30 pm onwards.

Related tags:

Haryana SteelersPro Kabaddi League Season 12, 2025 NewsEnglish