The victory was anchored by a defensive masterclass, as Puneri Paltan racked up an impressive 20 tackle points, including six Super Tackles. Gurdeep led the charge with a High Five, while both Gaurav Khatri and Abinesh Nadarajan were rock-solid in defence, contributing four tackles apiece. On the raiding front, Stuwart Singh made a telling impact, finishing as the top scorer for his side with eight raid points.
From the outset, Paltan's defence set the tone. Early tackles from Abinesh and Gurdeep, combined with swift raids by Sachin Tanwar and Pankaj Mohite, helped the side build a four-point advantage. However, U Mumba found some early spark through Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, who opened their account in both attack and defence to keep the margin tight.
As the first quarter unfolded, both teams traded blows in a cagey, high-intensity affair. Gaurav Khatri opened his tally for the Paltan, while Sunil Kumar did the same for U Mumba. Anil earned a crucial point on a Do-Or-Die raid, but Aslam Inamdar couldn't capitalise in a similar situation, leaving the scores locked at 5-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Momentum began to shift midway through the first half. Puneri Paltan regained a slender four-point lead, only for Zafardanesh to respond with a superb two-point raid. The back-and-forth nature of the contest continued, but a pivotal Super Tackle by Rakesh Rajesh helped the Paltan reassert control. The intense tactical battle, dominated by Do-Or-Die raids and smart defensive play, saw the Paltan head into the break with a 15-10 lead.
The second half saw Puneri Paltan turn up the heat. Vishal Bhardwaj executed a crucial Super Tackle to stretch their lead to seven, and moments later, Abinesh Nadarajan delivered another Super Tackle to tighten their grip on the match.
U Mumba struggled to break through the Paltan's watertight defence, finding it increasingly difficult to accumulate points. With a 23-15 lead going into the final quarter, Puneri Paltan were firmly in control of proceedings.
While Rinku showed resistance for U Mumba with four successful tackles, and Sandeep Kumar offered brief support, it wasn't enough to close the gap. Aslam Inamdar finally opened his account with a bonus point and then followed it up with a Super Tackle, pushing the lead back to double digits.
Gurdeep capped off his stellar performance by completing his High Five, and Khatri followed up with another defensive gem to inflict a crucial ALL OUT on U Mumba. Super-sub Stuwart Singh then put the finishing touches on a dominant display, pulling off a Super Raid to end as his team's highest scorer.