Puneri Paltan Clinch Spot in PKL 12 Final After Downing Titans in High-Scoring Clash

Due to the outstanding performance of Aditya Shinde (22) and Ajit Pawar (10), Puneri Paltan beat Telugu Titans 50-45 in Qualifier 2 of the PKL's 12th season at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Wednesday and earned a chance to play Dabang Delhi KC in the final on October 31. The Titans will head home after an impressive season.

For the Titans, who had lost in the semifinals for the third time since Season 2 and Season 4, Bharat had 22 points and captain Vijay Malik had 11, but their bonus point dependency backfired. The Titans gained more than 21 bonus points in the match, while Paltan relied solely on touchpoints and made a remarkable comeback from an all-out in the opening quarter, making their third final appearance in four seasons.

Thanks to Bharat's three points and two defensive points, the Titans took a 5-1 lead in the fourth minute, forcing a Super Tackle for Paltan. Bharat then swept Paltan with a single raid, putting them ahead 10-1. Paltan then made a strong comeback and put them in a Super Tackle position. Although the Titans won the first quarter 13-7, after the break, Paltan brought them to the brink of an all-out.

Paltan then inflicted an all-out, reducing the score to 12-16. Following the all-in, Bharat dismissed Aslam. Shubham then dismissed Pankaj. Meanwhile, Bharat completed his 11th Super 10 of the season with a multi-pointer. Aditya, however, responded with a multi-pointer. Gaurav then took out Bharat on the backhold, initiating a super tackle for the Titans, but Vijay rescued him. Chetan's mistake reduced Paltan's lead to four.

Aditya, meanwhile, made the match exciting by taking a wicket in a three-man defense. The Titans were leading 24-20 at halftime, but the threat of an all-out was averted, and Paltan reduced the score to 23-25. Following the all-in, Pankaj dealt a major blow to the Titans by dismissing Bharat, but Vijay revived Bharat by dismissing Aslam. Aditya continuously attempted to lead the Paltan back, but Bharat continued to be a hindrance.

Meanwhile, Pankaj completed a Super-10. Aditya then made a combination tackle on Bharat, not only leveling the score at 32-32 but also putting the Titans in position for a Super Tackle. Aditya then targeted the left corner, giving Paltan their first lead at 33-32. Shankar Gadai wrist-held Pankaj to secure two Super Tackle points, averting an all-out. The Titans secured the lead, but Paltan then completed an all-out to take a 38-37 lead.

In the 35th minute, Aditya extended the lead to three with a two-point raid, but was caught in the next raid. Bharat was also caught. Aditya, who revived, scored four points against a defense of six, almost sealing the match for Paltan at 45-40. However, Paltan sealed the deal by bowling out Titans for the fourth time and thus earned the right to play the final with Delhi.