Hyderabad, 3 Nov : It was business as usual for the Puneri Paltan, who beat U Mumba 35-28 in the 'Maha Maharashtra Derby' at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Skipper Aslam Inamdar was their hero once again, with 10 points (9 Raid Points) in his kitty, and was ably supported by Gaurav Khatri (7 Tackle Points) and Mohit Goyat (9 Raid Points). On the other hand, Ajit Chavan won 9 Raid Points for U Mumba.

An even start to the derby clash saw the two sides winning early points. For the Puneri Paltan, skipper Aslam Inamdar was in peak form, regularly getting the U Mumba players off the mat. However, the opposing skipper and defender Sunil Kumar was equally effective, and with only three U Mumba players on the mat, he trapped Pankaj Mohite for a Super Tackle.

The Puneri Paltan found their groove as the first half went on and got their first all out after Mohit Goyat entered the party. Playing in tandem with his skipper Inamdar, Goyat won consecutive points, and their combined raiding prowess ensured that the Puneri Paltan had a six-point lead heading into the second half as the score read 22-16.

Gaurav Khatri completed a well-earned High 5 early in the second half as the Puneri Paltan continued to extend their lead over their rivals. But U Mumba kept the pressure on, as Amirmohammad Zafardanesh caught Pankaj Mohite in a Do-Or-Die raid, and then Ajit did well to get Abinesh Nadarajan off the mat.

Despite this, the Puneri Paltan were in the driving seat throughout the game. For every point won by Ajit Chavan for U Mumba, they had to deal with the likes of Mohit Goyat and Akash Shinde. The final nail in the coffin was a Super Raid from Mohit ' who got Rinku, Sombir and Ajit in a single raid ' as the defending champions went on to secure their fourth win of the season.

/IANS