The Puneri Paltan secured their spot as the first finalists of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 after an emphatic 37-21 victory over three-time winners Patna Pirates at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. In what was an all-round performance from the Paltan army, the heroics were led by their able skipper Aslam Inamdar’s 7 raid points as his team will now face off against the winner of Semi-Final 2 on Friday, March 1 in search of their maiden PKL title.

It was a close start to Semi-Final 1 as both Puneri Paltan and Patna Pirates exchanged early blows to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. Sachin was the pick of the raiders for the Patna Pirates once again but on the other side of the mat, an all-round performance from the Puneri Paltan slightly kept them ahead of their opponents, as they eventually began to get a hold of the game.

Mohit Goyat’s successful DO-OR-DIE raid in the 6th minute started a flurry of points towards the end of the first half for the Paltan, inflicting an ALL OUT on the Patna Pirates. Continuing his form in season 10, Mohammadreza Shadlou led the defence with his tackling, with Aslam Inamdar’s raiding giving his team a 20-11 point at the end of the first half.

The Paltan carried the same momentum into the second half, getting the Patna Pirates ALL OUT once again. Sachin and Sudhakar M kept adding to the points for the Pirates but in the end, it was the Puneri Paltan team who went home the happier side. Aslam and Pankaj Mohite complemented each other well in the raiding department, while Shadlou had support from Abinesh and Gaurav Khatri.

The Patna Pirates fought to the very end but it was the Puneri Paltan who earned a big win in the Semi-Final. Ankit’s SUPER RAID cut into the lead of the Puneri Paltan, and Manjeet also struck late in the second half. However, the Paltan had an answer to all of the Patna Pirates’ questions, sealing a much-deserved spot in their second consecutive final.