Weekly Update: February 17 – 24
The highly anticipated National Poker Series (NPS) India officially launched on Sunday, November 23rd, marking the beginning of the biggest-ever edition of the series. Day 1 brought intense action, featuring seven tournaments that saw a huge influx of recreational players alongside the usual regulars, making for a dynamic and exciting field.

With big scores and deep finishes emerging across the tables, the 2025 Player of the Year (POY) leaderboard is already seeing some significant shifts.

And we’re only just getting started!

Maharashtra’s Muktar Firoj Pathan At #1 For 2nd Consecutive Week
Muktar Firoj Pathan ‘Dhakedboy’, who claimed the top spot on February 14th, has held onto his crown. His impressive performances throughout the week have only solidified his position as #1 on the leaderboard.

Here are the highlights from Pathan’s tournament performances:

  • Played 83 tournaments, cashed in 60, boasting an impressive 72.29% cashout rate, and earned over 1 LAC.
  • Finished second in Friday’s Daily Morning SPRINT for 18K.
  • Made 10 final tables, securing 2 tournament wins.

Sahil Babbar ‘illuminati777’ from Delhi, a former NPS India Bronze Medallist, delivered a standout performance this week. Babbar narrowly missed his first Gold medal in the NPS Kickoff but still won an NPS India Silver medal, while securing a remarkable 12.25 LAC in earnings, claiming the title of Mega Crusher of the Week.

Babbar is currently ranked #33 on the POY leaderboard with a POY score of 979. His week’s highlights include:

  • Played 16 tournaments, cashed 7 times, and reached 3 final tables.
  • Finished second in Sunday’s NPS#1 Kickoff, earning 9.91 LAC.

Kovid Saraswat ‘Fzzzyyy’ from Delhi is the latest player to rise as a Poker Supernova. A former Game Changer finalist, an NPS India Silver Medallist, and WPT India Online champion, Saraswat jumped 273 spots to secure the #8 position on the POY leaderboard. His POY Score surged to 992, a 102-point increase.

Saraswat’s highlights include:

  • Cashed in 10 out of 18 tournaments played, including 2 final table finishes, earning 9.18 LAC.
  • Won Thursday’s The Summit, claiming his first title of 2025 along with 6.56 LAC.

The Ace Shot of the Week goes to Ansh Raj ‘Xinigami’ from Mumbai, who took down Sunday’s NPS Kickoff for a career-high score of 11.19 LAC. Raj, ranked #627 with a POY score of 837, is a B.Tech graduate from MIT Manipal and holds an MBA from MDI Gurgaon.

Having been a professional Poker player for just a year, Raj who already owned an NPS India Bronze medal, is now the proud holder of his first NPS India Gold medal, alongside the title of Ace Shot of the Week.

Raj shared, “It’s not about flexible hours or money for me. I play essentially because I love studying and playing Poker.”
Take a Look at the POY Top 10 (Feb 17 – 23):

Rank Player Name Tournaments Played ITM Finishes Weekly Winnings POY Score
1 (↑50) Dhakedboy Muktar Firoj Pathan 83 60 1 LAC 998 (~)
2 (~~) msdhoni Rajneesh Thakur 33 20 6.59 LAC 998 (~)
3 (↑71) ExploitativeGTO Advait Rajguru 22 18 7.43 LAC 997 (+51)
4 (↑71) Konstantin Aditya Singh 23 15 4.81 LAC 996 (+50)
5 (⬇2) Papulasith Parth Shah 35 18 2.49 LAC 996 (~)
6 (⬇2) Busterr Tarush Gupta 43 27 3.39 LAC 996 (+1)
7 (↑74) Dattebayo7 Neeraj Sattawat 17 8 5.85 LAC 995 (+41)
8 (↑273) Fzzzyyy Kovid Saraswat 18 10 9.18 LAC 993 (+102)
9 (⬇1) poshDrops769243 Harsh Kumar Agarwal 41 17 1.29 LAC 993 (+1)
10 (⬇5) Ifurbadimurdad Rupesh Kumar Rai 19 7 61K 992 (-1)

The following seven factors play a role in determining your POY Score:

  • Return on Investment (ROI): Your profits relative to buy-ins, adjusted for the log value of your average buy-in.
  • In the Money (ITM): The number of times you finish in the money, multiplied by the log value of your average buy-in.
  • Tournaments Played: The total number of tournaments you play in 2025.
  • Winnings: Total prize money won in tournaments throughout the year.
  • Final Tables: Number of times you make the final table, multiplied by the square root of participants in those tournaments.
  • 1st Rank: Number of tournament victories, multiplied by the square root of participants.
  • Biggest Score: Your highest single tournament score of the year.

(Disclaimer: Rankings are accurate as of midnight, February 24th)
As the NPS India series continues, the POY leaderboard is heating up with new contenders. Stay tuned, as the race for the top spot promises to be an exciting one.

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