Maharashtra Stays on Top, Extends Lead with 48 Medals!
The race for glory at the National Poker Series India 2025 is heating up! Eleven days in, the competition is fierce, with 9,114 players battling it out on Day 11 alone, sharing a massive prize pool of 2.58 CR. But one state continues to dominate – Maharashtra!

Maharashtra: The Ace of the Pack
Team Maharashtra flexed its Poker muscles yet again, raking in 12 medals over the last two days, proving why it remains the king of the tables. Tuesday saw a massive haul of 7 medals, followed by another 5 on Wednesday, bringing their total tally to a commanding 48 medals (18 Gold, 14 Silver, and 16 Bronze).

Meanwhile, Delhi is pushing hard to keep up, adding 6 medals to reach 38 medals (9 Gold, 17 Silver, 12 Bronze). Uttar Pradesh also upped its game with 5 new medals, bringing its total to 28, while Karnataka (17 total medals) could only manage one new win across the last two days.

The biggest leap came from Haryana, matching Maharashtra’s Wednesday performance with 5 medals, raising their count to 21. But with plenty of action still ahead, expect some major leaderboard shakeups!

Now, let’s zoom in on six states making waves: Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Rajasthan’s Poker Warriors: The Rivalry Intensifies
Rajasthan’s poker stars are battling hard, with the state holding 17 medals (3 Gold, 8 Silver, 6 Bronze). But they’re hungry for more!

Ayush Goyal ‘ClassMonitor’ (Ajmer) kicked things off with an early Gold at NPS#10 Megadive (1.89 LAC), setting the stage for an intense competition.

Satyam Verma ‘AnakinSkywa1keR’ (Dhaulpur) wasn’t far behind. The former IITian struck gold at NPS#41 (6-Max) SPRINT (4.66 LAC) just four days later, closing in on Goyal’s lead.

Himanshu Dadhich ‘NoNutsNoGlory’ (Jaipur) has also joined the mix, grabbing Gold at NPS#3 (5-Max) Hyper (3.03 LAC).

And let’s not forget Shagun Jain ‘Sogani22’ (Jaipur)—a two-time Game Changer champion with 12 career medals, including recent wins at

  • Bronze in NPS#60 Monday Medley (5.03 LAC) on March 3
  • Silver in NPS#21 (7-Max) SPRINT (3.18 LAC) on Feb 25
  • Bronze in NPS#34 (5-Max) Big Hyper SPRINT (3.35 LAC) on Feb 27
  • 5th in NPS#73 Marathon (72.7K) on March 5

Will Goyal hold onto his lead, or will Verma, Dadhich, and Jain flip the script? Rajasthan’s Poker war is ON!

West Bengal’s Poker Power Play: Lakhotia vs. Mall
With 12 medals (3 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Bronze), West Bengal is making its presence felt, but an intense internal battle is brewing.

Manish Lakhotia ‘thekid’ (Silchar) took the state’s top spot after winning Gold in NPS#39 Deepdive (4.36 LAC).

Goonjan Mall ‘gmtesting’ (Kolkata) made his mark soon after, clinching a medal in NPS#64 Deepdive (3.45 LAC).

Meanwhile, Rupam Thakur ‘poker_thakur’ (Kolkata), who won Gold in NPS#2 Slamdunk (4.91 LAC), now finds himself playing catch-up.

As the rivalry intensifies, Shreyansh Sharma ‘halifax7701’ and Shashank Shekhar ‘Iverson003’ are also on the rise, ready to add more heat to the competition.
Can Lakhotia hold onto his lead, or will others turn the tables?

Gujarat Battles On: Bohra Takes Charge
Gujarat has quietly built a solid 11-medal tally (2 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze), with Mohit Bohra ‘Bullets777’ (Ahmedabad) leading the charge at #5 on the India Leaderboard (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 20 points).

Bhavik Khatsuria ‘bk9033’ (Ahmedabad) is chasing close behind with a Gold at NPS#43 (5-Max) Hyper SPRINT.

Also watch out for Sam Anand ‘thereallokimon’ (Vadodara), Vikram Langa ‘fakestory’ (Rajkot), and Amit Tejura ‘zombiefish’ (Vadodara) – all capable of making Gujarat a serious contender!

Bihar’s Poker Stars Shine Bright
Bihar is stepping up, securing 7 medals (3 Gold, 4 Bronze).

Pranav ‘NaNki’ (Hajipur) is the leader, winning Gold at NPS#5 Inaugural (9.43 LAC, 10 points).

Abhijeet Kumar ‘ERROR404’ (Patna) clinched Gold in NPS#8 (4-Max) Hyper SPRINT, stacking 10 points on the leaderboard.

Rahul Kumar ‘Rahulskul’ (Jehanabad) struck Gold in NPS#50 Sunday Kickoff, bagging 9.34 LAC and 10 points.

However, some of Bihar’s top players, Abhishek Sonu ‘chipndchair’, Vishal Maharaj ‘VishalMaharaj’, and Faiz Alam ‘AilaGaya,’ still have work to do, each with just 2 points.

Chandigarh’s Rising Star: Ankit Wadhawan vs. Ashish Ahuja
Chandigarh may not have the biggest medal haul (3 Gold, 1 Silver), but Ankit Wadhawan is making sure the state stays in the spotlight!

Ankit Wadhawan ‘d00mtr00per’ has taken charge of Chandigarh’s poker scene, dethroning Ashish Ahuja from the #1 spot and rising to #4 in India. With 2 Golds and 20 points, his recent victories in NPS#65 (PLO-5) and NPS#31 Relay have made him the state’s top contender.

Ahuja (‘Rocky3705’), now in second place, isn’t out of the fight just yet. With a Gold in NPS#33 (4-Max) Hyper, he’s gearing up for a fierce comeback.

Meanwhile, Arman Khan (‘Qbranch’) is still in search of his first Gold, but his Silver in NPS#54 Big Knockout keeps him well within striking distance with 5 points.

With Wadhawan and Ahuja locking horns, Chandigarh’s poker scene is set for an electrifying showdown!

Madhya Pradesh: Slow but Steady Rise
Madhya Pradesh had a slow start in this year’s National Poker Series, but Puneet Mishra (‘bonomo’) just changed the game! With a Gold in NPS#71 (PLO-5), he not only secured Madhya Pradesh ’s first top finish but also delivered his career-best performance, earning 2.54 LAC and 10 points.

Leading the charge alongside him is Swarnim Shukla (‘FelixShukla12’), who has already bagged 1 Silver and 5 points.

Nishant Singh Tomar (‘Somya2727’) followed suit with his first-ever Silver in NPS#28 (7-Max) SPRINT, while Harsh Wadhwani (‘harsh1587’) made his mark with a Bronze in NPS#8 (4-Max) Hyper SPRINT, adding 3 points to the tally.

With 4 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze) Madhya Pradesh is just getting started!
All eyes are now on seasoned pros like Saransh Garg and Jyotindra Dubey to push the state even higher up the leaderboard.

The Final Showdown?
Thick into Week 2 of the National Poker Series India 2025, the stakes have never been higher! The battle for supremacy is at full throttle, and with every passing event, the leaderboard is in flux. Maharashtra leads the charge – but for how long?

This year, it’s not just about medals, it’s about making history. The top 12 warriors of the India Leaderboard will clash in a high-stakes finale to crown India’s first-ever National Poker Champion. Who will rise, who will fall, and who will cement their legacy in poker immortality?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGYCuMQzySY/?hl=en

With a 100 Crore GTD, the action is nonstop, the tension is electric, and the 1.5 Cr Series Leaderboard has every contender on edge. The leaderboard topper will walk away with a whopping 30 LAC, but in Poker, one hand can turn an underdog into a legend.

The battle is just getting started. The cards are in the air. Are you watching history unfold?Stay tuned for more high-octane, heart-racing action!

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