Silver Lining, Golden Moves: Sreekanth Narayan Surges While Gopal Bajaj’s Double Podium Finish Reshapes Maharashtra’s Standings.
NPS India Day 26 Round Up
For tournament players it’s been a long ride since February 23 in India’s biggest-ever National Poker Series India 2025! As the biggest-ever “Olympics of Indian Poker” gears up for the ultimate wind-down, all eyes are on the closing weekend that promises a grand and electric finale to the month-long excitement!

The dynamics have been shifting fast, and Day 26 brought its share of thrilling finishes and exciting upheavals.

Karnataka’s Bhanu Prakash KC ‘Chennaino1’ continues to rule, with his feet firmly ensconced on the top in both – the National Poker Series India 2025 – India Leaderboard and Series Leaderboard! Bhanu has a medal count of 5 with 40 points. Up to now he has secured over 40.64 LAC in cashes, won 3 tournaments, delivered a super impressive 83% cashout rate and holds the fort with 35.95K points.

Gujarat’s Mohit Bohra ‘bullets777’ (40 points) and Delhi’s Saahib Bawa ‘Junta’ (35 points) rally behind Bhanu on Rank #2 and Rank 3 respectively.

The player to watch is Kerala’s Sreekanth Narayan ‘n0thing’ who has rallied up to Rank #4 with 3 medals over 3 medals, and a tally of 32 points!

The top 5 is rounded out by Haryana’s Snehil Aggarwal ‘GTORanges’ who holds 31 points.

The Rise of Kerala’s Sreekanth Narayan ‘n0thing’
The former G.O.A.T. runner-up is among the handful of players who went on a medal collecting spree this week. Over 3 days since March 19, Sreekanth finished in the podium three times, orchestrating a super-impressive climb into Rank #4 with 32 points!

His recent medal haul includes:

  • 🥇 Gold – NPS#157 Megadive – 2.9 LAC (March 19)
  • 🥉 Bronze – NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT – 2.38 LAC (March 20)
  • 🥇 Gold – NPS#173 Marathon – 2.20 LAC (March 21)

Maharashtra Dominates Day 26: Gopal Bajaj Surges Ahead
Day 26 of the National Poker Series India saw explosive action in Maharashtra, where the state bagged 7 medals (1 Gold, 4 Silver, and 2 Bronze) breaking its own previous medal records with a total of 107 medals.

The intra-state rivalry in Maharashtra also reached new heights as Gopal Bajaj, ‘AiDarwin,’ overtook PokerBaazi Team Pro Zarvan Tumboli, ‘MomSaid5Bet,’ to claim the top spot.

Gopal had been steadily climbing the Maharashtra Leaderboard, but on March 21, he made his move. That night, he came tantalisingly close to winning two tournaments. After firing 3 bullets in the NPS#173 Marathon, he finished second, earning the Silver. Then, in NPS#174 (5-Max) Hyper SPRINT, after 4 attempts, he added another Silver to his tally.

With his impressive performance, Gopal now ranks #6 on the India Leaderboard with 30 points.

Zarvan also fought valiantly to maintain lead and ran deep in the NPS#175 (PLO-5) Highroller. He ultimately earned the Silver, bringing his total medal count to 5 and his point total to 30. Despite his impressive finish, Zarvan had to step down to #2 on the Maharashtra leaderboard.

Gopal Bajaj ‘AiDarwin’ – Making a Statement
2025 has been life-changing for Gopal Bajaj ‘AiDarwin’ who did not have a single medal earlier. All that has changed, as Gopal now sits with a solid 4 medals, with an equal count of 2 Gold and 2 Silver. Overall, in the series, he has cashed 55% of the tournaments he has played, translating into 68 cashes and 26.64 LAC in winnings.

His medal highlights are:

  • 🥇 Gold – NPS#47 Slamdunk – 7.63 LAC (March 1)
  • 🥇 Gold – NPS#73 Marathon – 2.22 LAC (March 5)
  • 🥈 Silver – NPS#173 Marathon – 1.87 LAC (March 21)
  • 🥈 Silver –NPS#174 (5-Max) Hyper SPRINT – 2.68 LAC (March 21)

Zarvan Tumboli – Keeps the Fight On!
On Day 26, Zarvan was another player from Maharashtra hot on the chase for a medal victory and he almost clinched it in NPS#175 (PLO-5) Highroller. Firing 3 bullets in the tournament, he made his way past a field of 331 unique players (769 entries overall). While Zarvan didn’t make it to the top, he bagged the Silver bringing his medal count to 5 and point tally to 30!

His Friday medal haul includes:

  • 🥈 Silver – NPS#175 (PLO-5) Highroller – 5.43 LAC (March 21)

The Top 5 Medal Winning States:

State Gold Silver Bronze Total
Maharashtra 31 41 35 107
Delhi 28 30 21 79
Uttar Pradesh 20 19 15 54
Karnataka 21 13 14 48
Haryana 15 15 20 50

Seven more tournaments will award 21 medals today, heightening the excitement as we approach the final stretch of the competition.

The grand finale is just around the corner! The prestige of winning medals apart, the chance to become the first-ever National Poker Champion is on the line.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGYCuMQzySY/?hl=en
The stakes are bigger than ever. Stay tuned as the drama intensifies and players make their final push to add to their medal count!

National Poker Series