NPS India 2025 Day 25 Recap: Shaikh Breaks Through in Super HighRoller & Aggarwal Snags 6th Medal; Vijayvergia & Ghosh Grab Gold in the Other Thursday Headliners

The behemoth ₹100 Crores GTD National Poker Series India 2025 is roaring towards its grand finale – a mere four days remain! Day 25 brought the heat with an action-packed schedule featuring seven major tournaments and those all-important qualifiers for the two NPS juggernauts: the ₹10 Crores GTD NPS#191 Main Event and the ₹1 Crore GTD NPS#190 Golden Rush.

Thursday was a day of shattered guarantees across the board. A breathtaking 8,910 entries flooded the PokerBaazi tables, with a staggering ₹3.63 Crores awarded – a phenomenal 25% increase over the ₹2.90 Crores guaranteed, making it the second-biggest single-day jump of the series so far.

This surge has sent the total prize money awarded in this already legendary series soaring past an eye-watering ₹85 Crores (a significant leap from the ₹76.75 Crores guaranteed up to this point!). At this pace, we’re staring down the possibility of over ₹110 Crores in total payouts by the time the last hand is played on Monday. This isn’t just a tournament series; it’s a moment in history, a total rewrite of the record books for Indian online poker.

With the NPS India 2025 barreling toward its conclusion, the headlines keep pouring in. The day delivered seven more Gold Medals, with three players savouring their first-ever taste of NPS glory. Snehil Aggarwal carved his name into the history books with his sixth medal of the series, and that’s historic in itself, he is the first to do it this year and only the second ever in NPS history. And he grabbed a third Gold, joining the four other players who managed to snag as much gold this year. Nitin Rawat joined an elite club of just five players in NPS India 2025 to snag five medals. And in a surprising twist, Goa, a state known for its poker prowess but surprisingly absent from the medal count, finally broke through with two medals.

Mohsin Shaikh delivered that breakthrough for Goa in spectacular fashion, writing his own chapter in NPS history with a sensational victory in the NPS#168 Super HighRoller — the priciest event on this year’s calendar. Shaikh, fresh off a win in Adda52’s MMA Monster Stack and a former The MoneyMaker 85.0 champion, pocketed a life-changing ₹22.87 Lakhs, more than doubling his previous best score, and snagged his first-ever NPS medal, a glorious Gold. He also cashed in six other events (four of them in the NPS), bringing his total Thursday earnings to a mind-blowing ₹23.34 Lakhs. Even more impressive, he got into the Super HighRoller through a ₹2,300 satellite, turning that small investment into an unbelievable 994x return. Shaikh’s dominance now places him atop the Goa State Leaderboard and #16 on the NPC Leaderboard, though he still has a long way to go if he has to make that National Poker Champion showdown in Goa next month!

Suyash Gupta almost pulled off the biggest upset of the series! Making his NPS debut in the Super HighRoller, Gupta tore through a tough-as-nails field to finish runner-up, landing his first-ever NPS medal, a gleaming Silver, and a career-high payday of ₹17.75 Lakhs! That’s over 10 times his previous top score, launching him to #7 on the Madhya Pradesh State Leaderboard and putting him in the green on PokerBaazi.

Prasit Chowdhury, a former WPT Prime India Main Event champion and runner-up in last April’s #23 The MoneyMaker, was on the prowl for his second NPS Gold, already having one in the NPS#54 Relay. He had to settle for his first Bronze of the series (and second NPS medal overall), but it came with a career-best online score of ₹13.23 Lakhs. With two additional cashes, his Thursday earnings totalled over ₹13.46 Lakhs, officially pushing him into profit on PokerBaazi and landing him at #21 on the West Bengal State Leaderboard.

Snehil Aggarwal was the undeniable headline grabber of the day. Aggarwal turned in another performance for the ages, conquering NPS#169 Deepdive and taking down his third Gold Medal of the series. This win also gave him an unbelievable sixth medal overall in this series, plus ₹5.56 Lakhs after a heads-up deal. This victory made Aggarwal the first player in the current series to reach the six-medal mark, with three Golds and three Bronzes, and only the second player in NPS history to pull it off in a single edition, after Shagun Jain did it in 2022. He played all seven NPS events, cashing in five. His total winnings for the day were just under ₹5.88 Lakhs. This latest hot streak has him reigning supreme over the Haryana State Leaderboard and launched him to #4 on the NPS Series Leaderboard (where he’s a shoo-in to make the National Poker Champion showdown). He also climbed to #16 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard.

Shravan Chhabria found himself just shy of that first NPS Gold Medal again, for the second day running. After a tough fight in the NPS#169 Deepdive, he took the runner-up spot, earning a slightly better ₹5.57 Lakhs from a heads-up deal and grabbing his third Silver Medal of the series and fifth NPS medal in total. Chhabria was relentless throughout the day, almost cashing in every NPS event (except one), including a deep seventh-place finish in the NPS#168 Super HighRoller. His total Thursday earnings blew past ₹9.29 Lakhs, and he now sits at #12 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard.

Anish Vijayvergia also burst back into the spotlight. A seven-year poker veteran riding the high of a phenomenal double medal performance two weeks ago, grabbing Gold in NPS#80 Slamdunk and Bronze in NPS#82 Mega Rush, he kept the momentum going by dominating the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT, earning ₹4.44 Lakhs, his third-biggest score on PokerBaazi, and his second Gold Medal of the series (third NPS medal overall). The victory puts him in select company: one of only 20 players with two or more Golds this series and one of just 45 with three or more NPS medals. Vijayvergia’s win added a ninth Gold to Rajasthan’s collection, and he now leads the charge at the top of the Rajasthan State Leaderboard. He now occupies the #7 spot on the NPC Leaderboard. With five additional deep runs, Vijayvergia’s total Thursday earnings were around ₹5.94 Lakhs, and he’s ranked #10 on the NPS Series Leaderboard.

Suraj N Yadav, who’s been chasing his first flagship win on PokerBaazi for over two years and has had two close calls to the podium at the NPS India 2025, came incredibly close to that breakthrough in the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT, finishing runner-up for ₹3.09 Lakhs and finally capturing his first NPS medal, a hard-earned Silver. With an additional deep run on Adda52, Yadav finished the day with just under ₹3.16 Lakhs in total winnings.

‘SPRINT King’ Pradip Ghosh orchestrated a stunning comeback last night, winning his first NPS Gold Medal of the season. He triumphed in the NPS#167 Marathon for ₹3.26 Lakhs, his second-biggest score on PokerBaazi this year, after a heads-up deal. With deep runs in two more NPS events, Ghosh ended the day with a total haul just below ₹3.36 Lakhs. This was his third NPS Gold overall and second medal of the current series, following a Bronze in NPS#93 Freezeout. The win boosted him to #14 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard and sent him soaring to #59 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard.

Kushagra Mehta, the underdog who nearly stole the show, made the most of the heads-up deal in the NPS#167 Marathon. He collected ₹3.26 Lakhs, earning his second NPS Silver Medal (his first this series). With two more cashes for the day, Mehta’s total Thursday earnings reached nearly ₹3.40 Lakhs, more than double his previous best. The impressive Silver finish also gave him a direct ticket onto the Rajasthan State Leaderboard, making a strong debut at #14.

The other Gold Medal winners of the day included Rajasthan’s Samarth Bhandari (Won NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹2.90 Lakhs), Delhi’s Drish Aggarwal (Won NPS#165 Megadive for ₹2.76 Lakhs), and Maharashtra’s Siddharth Kewalramani (Won NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹1.71 Lakhs)!

With NPS India 2025 now just a few days away from the grand finale, the top order on the NPS Series Leaderboard remains unchanged. Bhanu Prakash KC is still dominating with 34,790 points from 139 cashes. Vinay Rajpal is still in second with 31,750 points from a staggering 146 cashes and needs to make a serious move soon. Rising Star Aman Parakh is right on Rajpal’s heels in third with 31,460 points from 129 cash finishes.

The National Poker Series India 2025 continues to deliver with its inter-state rivalry, and again the top order looks almost frozen and probably won’t see much change. Maharashtra seems poised to close it out strong, holding a commanding 100 medals (30 Gold, 37 Silver, 33 Bronze). Delhi follows with 76 medals (27 Gold, 28 Silver, 21 Bronze), striving to close the distance, while Uttar Pradesh maintains a solid third place with 53 medals (19 Gold, 19 Silver, 15 Bronze)!

The day also saw big wins across different platforms by Kamal Punjabi, Anurag Srivastava, Suraj Bhan, and Niteen Raj.

Here are the Thursday highlights!

PokerBaazi

NPS#168 Super HighRoller – ₹1.20 Crores GTD

Buy-in – ₹34,500

Entries – 353

Re-entries – 185

Prize Pool – ₹1,61,40,000

Places Paid – 95

The clock is relentlessly ticking down on the colossal ₹100 Crores GTD NPS India 2025. We’re in the final stretch, with just four days remaining, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. But instead of winding down, this poker behemoth is kicking into overdrive! The business end of the series is shaping up to be an explosion of high-stakes action, with some of the biggest NPS showstoppers about to crown their champions.

Day 25 was a monster. Seven massive tournaments were on the menu, plus those crucial qualifiers for the gigantic ₹10 Crores GTD NPS#191 Main Event and the ₹1 Crore GTD NPS#190 Golden Rush! The turnout was staggering. A tidal wave of 8,910 entries crashed into the PokerBaazi tables, exceeding even the previous day’s numbers. The prize money distributed was a mind-blowing ₹3.63 Crores – that’s a jump of over 25% above the ₹2.90 Crores initially guaranteed, nearly setting a new single-day record for the series.

This Thursday boost has pushed the total prize money awarded in this historic series past the colossal ₹85 Crores milestone (a significant jump from the ₹76.75 Crores guaranteed up to this point!). At this rate, we’re staring down the barrel of over ₹110 Crores in total payouts by the time the final river card is dealt on Monday. This isn’t just poker; it’s history in the making, rewriting the record books for Indian online poker.

A new day dawned, and a fresh batch of seven Gold Medallists came with it. Three of them tasted NPS glory for the very first time. But the real story was the double dose of history being made. Just a day after Saahib Bawa pulled off a feat never before seen in this series, snatching two Gold Medals in a single day,

snagged his sixth medal of the series (another first!) and that too his third Gold Medal – joining an elite club of only five players to achieve this feat this year. Aggarwal now reigns supreme over the Haryana State Leaderboard, his dominance so complete that his place in the National Poker Champion showdown in Goa seems all but assured.

On the state-wise leaderboard, Maharashtra continues its reign at the top, boasting an incredible 100 medals (30 Gold, 37 Silver, and 33 Bronze), leaving all other states far behind. Delhi maintains a strong grip on second place with 76 medals (27 Gold, 28 Silver, and 21 Bronze). Uttar Pradesh holds onto third with 53 medals (19 Gold, 16 Silver, and 15 Bronze), but Karnataka is close behind with 47 (20 Gold, 13 Silver, and 14 Bronze)!

And speaking of states making moves, let’s talk about Goa. This state, known for incredible poker talent, had been conspicuously absent from the NPC Leaderboard – a silence that was hard to ignore. But then, like a sudden storm, Goa didn’t just find its voice; it roared to life! The man causing this dramatic change was Mohsin ‘gongo’ Shaikh, who orchestrated a stunning, come-from-behind victory in PokerBaazi’s ₹1.20 Crores GTD NPS#168 Super HighRoller! This ₹34,500 buy-in event, the costliest event on this year’s schedule, was the day’s main attraction, and the “Road to NPS” satellite series and the considerable hype made it a surefire hit. And it more than delivered, with the final prize pool swelling to a jaw-dropping over ₹1.61 Crores.

A field of 353 players (creating 538 total entries), a mix of the game’s biggest names and satellite qualifiers with dreams of glory, entered this 7 PM high-stakes battle. And what a battle it was – a gruelling, over 12-hour poker war, one of the longest-running tournaments in the series so far. Emerging from this crucible, triumphant and unscathed, was Shaikh. He endured the relentless pressure, outmanoeuvred a field of elite competitors, and claimed a career-defining ₹22.87 Lakhs payday – more than 2.2 times his previous best score. The story gets even better, though. Shaikh got into the event through a ₹2,300 satellite, turning that modest investment into an almost unbelievable 994x return, and he snagged his first-ever NPS medal – a gleaming Gold!

This wasn’t just a win; it was a bold declaration. Shaikh’s victory gave Goa its first-ever NPS Gold Medal, spectacularly breaking the state’s silence. And with Nikita Fernandes adding a Bronze in the NPS#167 Marathon, Goa suddenly had a double presence on the leaderboard.

Shaikh is no newcomer to success. He’s a respected player, with victories like The MoneyMaker 85.0 and for playing a key role in the Deccan Aces’ record-breaking win in the Pocket52 PSL Season 6 last year. His reputation as a seasoned, dangerous player is well-deserved. He’s been grinding relentlessly over the past few weeks, not just in the NPS India 2025 but also on Adda52, consistently posting deep runs on both platforms.

Shaikh’s NPS grind has been intense, with 163 events played and 91 cashes. Before Thursday’s triumph, it had been a story of hard work without a huge breakthrough. But his form was clearly on the upswing – a win in Adda52’s MMA Monster Stack and an eighth-place finish in the Maverick on Wednesday were clear indicators. And that momentum exploded into a career-defining performance last night.

Shaikh’s dominance now places him at the top of Goa’s State Leaderboard and #16 on the National Poker Champion Leaderboard. But with only the top 12 advancing to the NPC showdown, he can’t relax. He needs to maintain the pressure and keep collecting those valuable medals in the final, frantic days of the series.

Shaikh’s Super HighRoller victory might have been the biggest single payout of the day, but it was far from his only success. He also cashed in six other events, with his total Thursday haul a whopping close to ₹23.34 Lakhs, with ₹23.29 Lakhs of that from his five deep runs at the NPS, making him, without a doubt, Thursday’s undisputed MVP.

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#168 Super HighRoller for ₹22,87,038

> 41st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹14,569

> 79th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹14,250

> 87th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹7,950

> 84th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹5,327

> 19th in Adda52’s MMA Mega PKO 8-Max for ₹2,568

> 21st in Adda52’s MMA Turbo 6-Max for ₹2,090

Mohsin Shaikh’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹3.73 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹1.20 Crores | Titles Won in 2025:#3 | Moves to #1 on the Goa State Leaderboard | Moves to #16 on the NPC Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Gold | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹43.13 Lakhs

Then there’s the captivating story of Suyash ‘RestInPeace’ Gupta, a player who decided to make his NPS debut in the most dramatic fashion. Having never played a single NPS event before, Gupta chose the NPS#168 Super HighRoller – the biggest, boldest event on the schedule – as his starting point. And almost pulled off the upset of the series! In his first NPS appearance, Gupta stormed through the stacked field, playing with a fearlessness that surprised many. He finished in a stunning second place, earning his first-ever NPS medal (a Silver) and a staggering career-best ₹17.75 Lakhs!

This score was more than ten times larger than his previous best, lifting him to #7 on the Madhya Pradesh State Leaderboard. It also pulled him into profit on PokerBaazi, proving that sometimes, taking a leap into the deep end pays off handsomely.

Suyash Gupta’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹19.13 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹2.16 Lakhs | Moves to #7 on the Madhya Pradesh State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹18.02 Lakhs

Also in contention for Gold in the Super HighRoller was Prasit ‘Stungunner’ Chowdhury, a well-known figure both live and online. Chowdhury, a former WPT Prime India Main Event champion and runner-up in #23 The MoneyMaker from last April, was looking for his second NPS Gold Medal, having already tasted victory in the NPS#54 Relay last year. He fired two bullets in the Super HighRoller, having won his initial entry through a ₹2,300 satellite. He navigated the challenging competition to a third-place finish, collecting his first Bronze Medal (his first medal of this series and second overall) and a career-best online score of ₹13.23 Lakhs.

But his Thursday run didn’t stop there. Chowdhury also cashed in the NPS#169 Deepdive (88th for ₹14,250) and the NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) (115th for ₹8,750), his total take for the day crossing ₹13.46 Lakhs.

This strong performance not only boosted his bankroll but also turned him profitable on PokerBaazi and moved him to #21 on the West Bengal State Leaderboard. West Bengal, thanks in part to players like Chowdhury and the two-time Gold Medallist Goonjan Mall, is holding its own at #10 on the NPC Leaderboard.

Prasit Chowdhury’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹84.90 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹4.11 Lakhs | Moves to #21 on the West Bengal State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Gold & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹26.50 Lakhs

The NPS#168 Super HighRoller final table was filled with poker talent. Devansh ‘Dev3088’ Shah, NPS#54 Big Knockout (PKO) Gold Medallist, put up another strong showing, finishing fourth for ₹9.54 Lakhs (his second-best online score). Young Gun Sanat ‘mehro2511’ Mehrotra, who had recently conquered the Adda52 Millions on Sunday and made a final table run in the NPS#146 Monday Medley, finished in sixth place, adding another ₹4.70 Lakhs to his series earnings.

And, in true NPS style, the NPS#168 Super HighRoller was a monster hit. Even with that steep ₹34,500 buy-in, it attracted a crowd, generating a mind-blowing ₹1.61 Crores prize pool – that’s over a third more than the guaranteed ₹1.20 Crores, making it one of the biggest success stories of the series so far. This massive prize pool showered riches on the top 95 players, with each receiving at least ₹58,104 – more than 1.7 times the buy-in. If the Super HighRoller is any indication – and it certainly is – the upcoming NPS showstoppers are set to shatter records. There’s clearly a lot more action to come!

Final Table Results

1. Mohsin ‘gongo’ Shaikh – ₹22,87,038
2. Suyash ‘RestInPeace’ Gupta – ₹17,75,400
3. Prasit ‘Stungunner’ Chowdhury – ₹13,23,480
4. Devansh ‘Dev3088’ Shah – ₹9,53,874
5. Praks2022 – ₹6,73,038
6. Sanat ‘mehro2511’ Mehrotra – ₹4,69,674

NPS#169 Deepdive – ₹50 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹4,600

Entries – 721

Re-entries – 704

Prize Pool – ₹57,00,000

Places Paid – 242

The record-shattering NPS India 2025 is a runaway train, gaining momentum with each passing day. And with just four days left, the race for poker immortality has entered its final, breathtaking stage. If Day 24 was exciting, with three players scoring two medals each, Day 25 was an all-out explosion, delivering an even bigger, more action-packed poker spectacle!

Thursday brought seven high-stakes tournaments to the forefront, each overflowing with intensity, ambition, and the potential for history-making moments. Three players achieved their long-awaited breakthroughs, winning their first-ever NPS Gold Medals, while four established players added to their already overflowing medal collections, further solidifying their NPS legacy.

But Snehil’ GTORanges ‘Aggarwal was the eye of this thrilling poker storm, the central figure in this unfolding drama.

There are good runs, there are amazing runs… and then there’s the sheer, unadulterated dominance that Aggarwal is displaying at the NPS India 2025—a record-shattering, leaderboard-crushing, epoch-defining performance that has the entire Indian poker community in awe.

On Day 25, Aggarwal didn’t just win—he etched his name in the history books, becoming the first player at this year’s NPS to collect six medals. He’s now only the second player in NPS history to achieve that extraordinary feat, following Shagun Jain‘s legendary six-medal run at NPS India 2022.

From Faridabad, Haryana, and now a Bengaluru resident working as a Senior Business Associate at Pocket52/Gameskraft, Aggarwal is the living embodiment of the idea that you can balance a demanding career and still crush the NPS grind. He’s not just proving it’s possible; he’s making it look legendary.

Before this series, Aggarwal’s NPS resume featured a single Silver Medal from the 2022 NPS#23 Relay. Now, he’s reinvented himself as one of the breakout stars of the 2025 edition! His medal rush kicked off with his first-ever Gold Medal in the NPS#14 (PLO-6) Megadive, followed by a Bronze in the NPS#35 Marathon. This week, his performance reached another stratosphere. On Tuesday, he grabbed a Bronze in the NPS#155 (PLO-5) Knockout. Wednesday was a defining day, as he added two more medals: a Gold in the NPS#162 (PLO-4) HighRoller and a Bronze in the NPS#163 (6-Max) Hyper SPRINT – making him one of only nine players in the series to win two medals in a single day!

Aggarwal’s crowning achievement arrived Thursday night when he conquered PokerBaazi’s ₹50 Lakhs GTD NPS#169 Deepdive. The 8:30 PM flagship drew a bustling crowd of 1,425 entries (721 unique), crushing its guarantee. After nine hours of relentless poker action, Aggarwal stood tall. He fired three bullets, a calculated investment that paid off handsomely as he captured his third Gold Medal of the series, his sixth medal of this series (seventh overall), and a handsome ₹5.56 Lakhs in prize money after a heads-up deal.

This victory was a milestone avalanche:

> He became the first player at NPS India 2025 to win six medals (3 Golds & 3 Bronzes).

> He became only the second player ever to win six medals in a single NPS (after Shagun Jain from 2022).

> He joined the elite ranks of only five players to win three Gold Medals at NPS India 2025 (alongside Bhanu Prakash KC, Mohit Bohra, Advait Rajguru, and Saahib Bawa).

> He became the second player in this series to win medals on three consecutive days (after PokerBaazi Team Pro Zarvan Tumboli).

Aggarwal now rules the Haryana State Leaderboard with an iron grip, boasting 36 points (his closest rivals, Mohit Mehta and Mayank Jaggi, are tied at 19). His dominance is so complete that his spot in the National Poker Champion showdown in Goa seems practically guaranteed. And he has leapt another spot to #3 on the NPC Leaderboard, behind only Bhanu Prakash KC & Mohit Bohra (both with 40 points)!

Staying true to form, Aggarwal played all seven NPS events on Day 25, cashing in five. His total winnings came to just a hair under ₹5.88 Lakhs. This latest surge has also boosted him to #4 on the NPS Series Leaderboard (up from #7), with 29,696 points from 115 cashes, and #16 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard (up from #27).

Aggarwal has been a machine, competing in 169 out of 170 NPS events and cashing in a mind-boggling 115 of them. His NPS 2025 winnings now stand at a colossal ₹40.90 Lakhs, his overall NPS winnings at an even more impressive ₹52.52 Lakhs, and he’s officially crossed the ₹4 Crores threshold in tracked online winnings across all platforms. To put it mildly, it was a day of incredible achievements for Aggarwal!

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹5,56,369* (heads-up deal)

> 101st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹13,600

> 69th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹10,284

> 215th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹5,751

> 230th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹1,992

Snehil Aggarwal’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹4 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹66.89 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #4 | Ranked #1 on the Haryana State Leaderboard | Moves to #3 on the NPC Leaderboard | Moves to #4 on the NPS Series Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Gold, 1 Silver & 3 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹52.52 Lakhs | Moves to #16 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard

The NPS#169 Deepdive came down to a heads-up showdown for the ages between Aggarwal and veteran pro Shravan ‘FishStars’ Chhabria, who found himself within striking distance of winning the Gold Medal for the second time in two days. Chhabria is a man of many talents – he’s pursued a serious cricket career and even starred in major films – but his poker resume is no joke.

A respected name in the Indian circuit, Chhabria led Team Crushers to victory in PokerBaazi’s ‘Poker Masterclass’ on Jio Cinema last year. His resume is packed with big results, including wins in events like the IPM#115 Big Bounty and runner-up finishes in PPL#23 HighRoller and The Summit. While his last major title came in December in Adda52’s Head Shot Bounty, he’s consistently been a threat!

Entering this NPS edition with two previous Bronze Medals, Chhabria has been on a mission to win that elusive Gold. He added a Silver Medal in NPS#23 Knockout (PKO) earlier in the series and picked up another Silver in the NPS#157 Megadive just the night before.

Chhabria fired three bullets in the NPS#169 Deepdive and made it to the final two. Despite a hard-fought contest, he narrowly missed out on Gold again, finishing second to Aggarwal. He collected a slightly better ₹5.57 Lakhs from the heads-up deal with Aggarwal and picked up his third Silver Medal of the series (his fifth NPS medal overall).

With this result, Chhabria became one of only 37 players to win three or more medals at this year’s festival. More specifically, he joined Vikranth Verma, Zarvan Tumboli, and Rubin Labroo as the only four players to have collected three Silver Medals in this series. His Deepdive runner-up finish also boosted him to #12 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard.

Chhabria’s success wasn’t confined to the Deepdive. He also placed seventh in the NPS#168 Super HighRoller, earning ₹3.39 Lakhs and just missing out on back-to-back final table appearances. He came incredibly close to cashing in every NPS event (missing out on just one), his total Thursday haul reaching over ₹9.29 Lakhs. This veteran has clearly found his winning rhythm, and after two consecutive runner-up finishes, that long-awaited Gold might be just around the corner.

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹5,57,411* (heads-up deal)

> 7th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#168 Super HighRoller for ₹3,38,940

> 48th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹9,959

> 84th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹9,585

> 70th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹8,750

> 61st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹4,443

Shravan Chhabria’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹5.58 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹2.99 Crores | Moves to #12 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Silver & 2 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹34.52 Lakhs

West Bengal’s Nishant ‘NC1202’ Chowdhury also celebrated a career milestone last night by winning his first-ever NPS medal. Firing two bullets in the NPS#169 Deepdive, he took home the Bronze Medal and a career-best ₹3.52 Lakhs. He also scored in the NPS#167 Marathon (137th for ₹6,303) for a combined Thursday take of almost ₹3.58 Lakhs.

Nishant Chowdhury’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹95.72 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹21.59 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #2 | Moves to #20 on the West Bengal State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹11.29 Lakhs

The NPS#169 Deepdive was a den of regulars, featuring Aniket ‘aniket030’ Gaikwad (4th for ₹2.58 Lakhs), NPS#64 Deepdive Bronze Medallist and 2024 POY #6 Shreyansh ‘halifax7701’ Sharma (5th for ₹1.87 Lakhs), Arindam ‘darkhorse94’ Nayak (6th for ₹1.37 Lakhs), Binoj ‘snakeeyes’ S (7th for ₹1.05 Lakhs), and NPS India 2025 double Gold Medallist Wilson ‘kalingkaling’ Yomso (8th, for ₹81,510)!

On a day of guarantee-smashing turnouts at NPS India 2025, the ₹4,600 buy-in NPS#169 Deepdive also saw an electrifying response. The ₹50 Lakhs guarantee was quickly crushed, and the final prize pool swelled to a whopping ₹57 Lakhs. An overcrowded field of players fought for glory, with the top 242 finishers taking home payouts of at least ₹6,840. At this pace, the next four days promise even more excitement.

Final Table Results

1. Snehil ‘GTORanges’ Aggarwal – ₹5,56,369*
2. Shravan ‘FishStars’ Chhabria – ₹5,57,411*
3. Nishant ‘NC1202’ Chowdhury – ₹3,51,690
4. Aniket ‘aniket030’ Gaikwad – ₹2,57,640
5. Shreyansh ‘halifax7701’ Sharma – ₹1,86,960
6. Arindam ‘darkhorse94’ Nayak – ₹1,36,800
7. Binoj ‘snakeeyes’ S – ₹1,04,880
8. Wilson ‘kalingkaling’ Yomso – ₹81,510

*denotes a heads-up deal

NPS#167 Marathon – ₹30 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹2,875

Entries – 667

Re-entries – 660

Prize Pool – ₹33,17,000

Places Paid – 219

The clock is ticking down on the NPS India 2025, with only four days left. But the heat is still blazing! Thursday was another scorcher, with headlines galore across seven featured NPS events. And leading the pack in the ₹30 Lakhs GTD NPS#167 Marathon was none other than the “SPRINT King” himself, Pradip ‘Nit2Donk’ Ghosh.

Ghosh is a grinder, a hustler, a guy who’s built a career on epic runs. He’s not shy about his ambitions, either. He’s gunning for PokerBaazi`s 2025 POY title (and that juicy ₹1 Crore top prize). He’s been on a tear all year, with wins in The Endeavour, The Endeavour Lite, WTF, and even Adda52’s Mystery Bounty just last week.

The NPS is familiar territory for Ghosh. His trophy cabinet already glitters with two Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze medals from previous editions. But this year has been a different beast. He’s been a workhorse, putting in the gruelling hours and competing in over 143 tournaments (that’s almost 85% of all NPS events held so far!). Yet, despite that dedication, success had been elusive. A lone Bronze in the NPS#93 Freezeout was the only glimmer of hope in a sea of near misses. He even confessed to us two days ago that the NPS was proving to be a tough nut to crack. He needed a breakthrough.

And Thursday night, under the bright lights of the 6:30 PM NPS#167 Marathon, he got it. The Durgapur native, now calling Pune home, entered a field of 667 other hopefuls (a whopping 1,327 total entries, blowing the guarantee out of the water). It was a nine-hour-plus slugfest. He took some punches, firing two bullets, but he kept coming back and ran the tables like a boss. Finally, after all the cards were dealt, he stood alone – his first NPS Gold Medal of the season (his third Gold overall and his second medal in this series) and a sweet ₹3.26 Lakhs added to his PokerBaazi bankroll after striking a heads-up deal. It was his second-biggest score on the platform this year, a timely boost just before the series reaches its climax.

That Gold Medal catapults Ghosh to #14 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard with 12 points. He’s also sitting pretty at #59 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard. With PokerBaazi Team Pro Zarvan Tumboli, the current state leaderboard frontrunner, holding 25 points, Ghosh will need to grab a couple more medals—another Gold, preferably—in these final days for a fighting chance at making that National Poker Champion showdown in Goa.

But it wasn’t just the Marathon where Ghosh made noise. He notched deep runs in two other NPS events, bringing his total haul for the day to just under ₹3.36 Lakhs!

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹3,25,909* (heads-up deal)

> 64th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹7,180

> 143rd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹2,604

Pradip Ghosh’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹9.32 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹3.99 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #5 | Moves to #14 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Gold, 2 Silver & 3 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹42.71 Lakhs | Moves to #59 on #PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard

And then there’s the story of Kushagra ‘Nkush’ Mehta, the underdog who almost stole the show. He might not have been the headline name entering the NPS#167 Marathon, but he certainly left a lasting impression. After six years of the poker grind, navigating the highs and lows, Mehta played lights-out poker in the Marathon, coming this close to his first-ever Gold Medal. It was a defining moment in his NPS journey, 46 tournaments deep, and that Silver he would not let go. He made the heads-up deal work in his favour, locking in a slightly better ₹3.26 Lakhs. It wasn’t his first NPS rodeo – he’d scored a Silver in the 2022 NPS#73 Saturday Run-Up – but this score more than doubled his previous best.

The Silver also earned him a direct entry at #14 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard with 5 points. However, catching up to the current frontrunner, Anish Vijayvergia, who won his second Gold of the series last night and sits atop with 22 points, will be difficult.

Making it to the NPC Leaderboard might seem like a long shot, but Mehta turned Thursday into a serious payday. With two more cashes added to his Marathon score, his total winnings for the day shot up to nearly ₹3.40 Lakhs, putting a significant dent, over a quarter, on his previous losses.

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹3,25,980* (heads-up deal)

> 150th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹9,690

> 129th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹3,937

Kushagra Mehta’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹22.65 Lakhs | Moves to #14 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 2 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹6.35 Lakhs

Goa, a state usually brimming with poker talent, had been surprisingly quiet on the medal front this series. But that all changed on Thursday with a dramatic double-medal haul! While Mohsin Shaikh conquered the day’s headline event, grabbing Goa’s first Gold, Nikita ‘highpriestess’ Fernandes delivered a performance that resonated just as strongly. She battled her way to a well-deserved Bronze in the NPS#167 Marathon – her first-ever NPS medal. Her two-bullet investment paid off handsomely, netting her ₹2.06 Lakhs. It was her second-biggest score of the series, trailing only her fifth-place finish in the NPS#47 Slamdunk three weeks ago, and her third-best score overall on PokerBaazi.

That Bronze instantly elevated Fernandes to #2 on the Goa State Leaderboard, a significant leap, although she still trails Shaikh, who’s riding high after his Gold medal triumph.

Fernandes also added a 27th-place finish in NPS#169 #Deepdive, tacking on another ₹28,500, boosting her total Thursday earnings to nearly ₹2.35 Lakhs.

Nikita Fernandes’s online stats (PokerBaazi and Adda52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹63.60 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹18.40 Lakhs | Moves to #2 on the Goa State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹18.30 Lakhs

The NPS#167 Marathon’s final table was packed with familiar faces, all vying for another piece of NPS glory. It included the NPS#114 Mini HighRoller Bronze Medallist Vaibhav ‘durrrr1310’ Saigal (4th for ₹1.52 Lakhs), NPS#87 (7-Max) Friday Freestyle Silver Medallist ‘High Roller Specialist’ Karan ‘collingwood’ Sitlani (5th for ₹1.10 Lakhs), NPS#143 Slamdunk Gold Medallist Anish ‘PapaNegreanu’ Arora (6th for ₹80,615), recent NPS#151 Deepdive Bronze Medallist Saiganesh ‘Arwen’ Reddy Kalakoti (7th for ₹62,701), and the always-dangerous Deepak ‘3streakbluff’ Singh (8th for ₹47,440).

The competition is reaching a fever pitch with the clock ticking down on the NPS India 2025. The ₹2,875 buy-in NPS#167 Marathon was another smashing success, creating a juicy ₹33.17 Lakhs prize pool. The top 219 finishers got a piece of the action, with a min-cash worth ₹4,976 – adding another chapter to this legendary series.

Final Table Results

1. Pradip ‘Nit2Donk’ Ghosh – ₹3,25,909*
2. Kushagra ‘Nkush’ Mehta – ₹3,25,980*
3. Nikita ‘highpriestess’ Fernandes – ₹2,06,017
4. Vaibhav ‘durrrr1310’ Saigal – ₹1,51,942
5. Karan ‘collingwood’ Sitlani – ₹1,09,809
6. Anish ‘PapaNegreanu’ Arora – ₹80,615
7. Saiganesh ‘Arwen’ Reddy Kalakoti – ₹62,701
8. Deepak ‘3streakbluff’ Singh – ₹47,440

*denotes a heads-up deal

NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT – ₹30 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹3,450

Entries – 579

Re-entries – 699

Prize Pool – ₹38,34,000

Places Paid – 219

The NPS India 2025 isn’t just winding down; it’s exploding! We’re charging into the final weekend of this 29-day poker marathon, and Day 25 delivered a seven-tournament knockout punch, along with crucial Qualifiers for those with visions of even grander prizes. While the 1.20 Lakhs GTD NPS#168 Super HighRoller, the 7 PM headliner, set the stage for high-stakes action, the ₹30 Lakhs GTD NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT was the night’s closing act. Starting at 9:30 PM, it transformed into a seven-hour poker war that went on till well into Friday morning.

And that’s where Anish ‘Fishlover001’ Vijayvergia decided to crash the party. This guy’s a PokerBaazi mainstay, a seven-year veteran whose journey has been, to put it mildly, a wild ride. He is also part of an exclusive club of players who have won The MoneyMaker twice!

Vijayvergia’s been a medal-collecting machine at the NPS India 2025. He came in hot, fresh off dual medal wins, grabbing a Gold in NPS#80 Slamdunk and a Bronze in NPS#82 Mega Rush (for a career-best ₹18.92 Lakhs) just two weeks ago – a clear sign of a player hitting peak form in this series!

And, last night, he tasted victory yet again. He had to unleash a barrage of five bullets in the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT before he outwitted, outmanoeuvred, and ultimately outlasted a gigantic field of 1,278 entries (579 unique players). He grabbed his second Gold Medal of the series (his third medal overall) and a juicy ₹4.44 Lakhs payout – his third-largest score on PokerBaazi!

This win elevates Vijayvergia into the exclusive company of just 20 players with two or more Gold Medals in this series and only 45 players with three or more medals in total! It’s undeniable that Vijayvergia has been a standout performer in this series, especially considering the intense competition and the massive, guarantee-crushing turnouts.

Vijayvergia’s victory added a valuable ninth Gold to Rajasthan’s tally and catapulted him (the state’s only double Gold Medallist) to the top of the state leaderboard, although the competition is breathing down his neck. He’s also currently sitting at #7 on the NPC Leaderboard. And he holds the #10 spot on the NPS Series leaderboard, with 27,526 points from an incredible 115 cash finishes (out of 167 events played, a remarkable 69% cash rate).

Vijayvergia’s Thursday was a poker clinic; his total earnings danced around the ₹5.94 Lakhs region, fueled by deep runs in six NPS events (he cashed in all but one!). This included the Gold win and another final table appearance in the NPS#165 Megadive, where he finished eighth for ₹34,277!

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹4,43,977

> 40th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#168 Super HighRoller for ₹1,03,296

> 8th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹34,277

> 190th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹6,840

> 194th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹3,750

> 263rd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹1,532

Anish Vijayvergia’s NPS stats: Moves to #1 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard | Moves to #10 on the NPS Series Leaderboard | Moves to #7 on the NPC Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 2 Gold & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹66.45 Lakhs | Moves down to #3 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard

But Vijayvergia almost didn’t get there. Suraj ‘MR8BEAST’ N Yadav, an online regular on the hunt for his second PokerBaazi flagship title since his (7-Max) BSS Championship victory in January 2023, was right there. He’s another one of those tireless grinders, and he came in with a couple of near-podium finishes earlier in the series, taking fourth place in both NPS#2 Slamdunk (on the opening day) and NPS#157 Megadive (just the night before).

Yadav was locked and loaded in the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT, and he came so close. While he couldn’t quite close out the heads-up match, he finally snagged that NPS medal he’d been chasing – a Silver – and a handsome ₹3.09 Lakhs. Add a deep run in Adda52’s Mystery Bounty (56th for ₹6,316), and Yadav racked up just under ₹3.16 Lakhs for the day.

Suraj N Yadav’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹4.71 Crores | Lifetime Winnings: ₹14.57 Lakhs | Moves to #22 on the Karnataka State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹14.54 Lakhs

Incredibly, the entire NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT podium was stacked with regulars. Sreekanth ‘n0thing’ Narayan, the legendary G.O.A.T. 2.0 runner-up (who also finished #2 in the 2023 POY race), had zero NPS medals before this series. He scored his first NPS Gold in the NPS#157 Megadive on Wednesday (the same event Yadav finished fourth in) and decided to keep the momentum rolling, grabbing back-to-back medals. Last night, he clinched the Bronze (his fourth medal of the series) in the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT and ₹2.38 Lakhs.

With this podium finish, Narayan has widened his lead on the Kerala State Leaderboard and jumped three spots to #8 on the NPC Leaderboard. He’s shaping up to be a serious contender for that final showdown in Goa! Like Yadav, Narayan also made a deep run in Adda52’s Mystery Bounty (24th for ₹9,625), boosting his Thursday take to nearly ₹2.48 Lakhs.

Sreekanth Narayan’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹12.36 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹5.47 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #1 | Ranked #1 on the Kerala State Leaderboard | Moves to #8 on the NPC Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹33.82 Lakhs

With most regs playing pretty much the entire NPS schedule, the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT final table was brimming with notables, including Avijit ‘SwangoRay’ Jaiswal (4th for ₹1.76 Lakhs), NPS#25 (PLO-4) Gold Medallist Arunav ‘Frankie08’ Mittal (5th for ₹1.27 Lakhs), NPS#10 Megadive Gold Medallist Ayush ‘ClassMonitor’ Goyal (6th for ₹93,166) and the ever-consistent Inzemaam ‘Shavzz’ Husain (7th for ₹72,463).

And just like the other NPS flagships of the day, the ₹3,450 buy-in NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT didn’t just meet its ₹30 Lakhs guarantee; it soared past it by ₹8.34 Lakhs (almost 30% over). It was a rewarding day for the 219 players who cashed, with everyone taking home at least ₹5,751 – nearly 1.7 times the buy-in. The NPS is bringing the action, and the payouts are following suit! It’s a series firing on all cylinders, even as it approaches its grand finale.

Final Table Results

1. Anish ‘Fishlover001’ Vijayvergia – ₹4,43,977
2. Suraj ‘MR8BEAST’ N Yadav – ₹3,09,404
3. Sreekanth ‘n0thing’ Narayan – ₹2,38,091
4. Avijit ‘SwangoRay’ Jaiswal – ₹1,75,597
5. Arunav ‘Frankie08’ Mittal – ₹1,26,905
6. Ayush ‘ClassMonitor’ Goyal – ₹93,166
7. Inzemaam ‘Shavzz’ Husain – ₹72,463

NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) – ₹25 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹2,875

Entries – 442

Re-entries – 827

Prize Pool – ₹31,72,500

Places Paid – 219

The NPS India 2025 isn’t just making headlines; it’s redefining them! Thursday was another chapter in this epic saga, with Snehil Aggarwal‘s historic six-medal performance stealing the spotlight. But Day 25 had plenty more stories to tell, including three other players finally breaking through to claim their first-ever NPS Gold Medals. And one of those stories belongs to PokerBaazi regular Samarth ‘tiltsingh’ Bhandari, who finally got his hands on NPS Gold.

Bhandari’s a poker veteran, someone intimately familiar with the game’s ups and downs. He’s a regular on PokerBaazi, a seasoned grinder with a proven track record. And on Tuesday night, all that hard work culminated in a breakthrough. He took down PokerBaazi’s ₹25 Lakhs GTD NPS#164 (PLO-6) #Knockout (KO), finally capturing that elusive NPS medal – and it was GOLD!

The 2:30 PM NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO), the day’s first NPS tournament, was a volatile mix of six-card PLO and the added aggression of the KO format. It was a true battleground, attracting a packed field of 442 determined players (expanding to 1,269 total entries). Bhandari, a former #18 The MoneyMaker podium finisher and November’s Daily Last Chance champion, fought through the chaos. An intense nine-hour and 19-minute session saw Bhandari dismantle the competition, seizing his first title of the year and a hefty ₹4.04 Lakhs prize, with a significant ₹1.15 Lakhs coming from bounties alone after making two entries. This victory effectively ended a nearly four-month title drought, his second-biggest score on the platform, and catapulted him to a lofty #8 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard.

But that’s just part of the story – this victory also pushed Bhandari past the ₹1.50 Crores milestone in tracked online earnings.

Samarth Bhandari’s online stats: (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹1.50 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹22.71 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #1 | Moves to #8 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Gold | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹5.93 Lakhs

Then there was Shaurya ‘SmartFish’Kohli, who also had a Thursday he won’t soon forget. Hunting for his first-ever flagship title and that coveted NPS Gold, Kohli came agonisingly close. He finished runner-up in the NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO), earning his first NPS medal – a Silver – and a personal-best ₹2.12 Lakhs. He fired five bullets to survive the poker chaos. This spectacular run gave Delhi another medal, and the score finally tipped him back into profitability on the site.

Shaurya Kohli’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹3.65 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹1.58 Lakhs | Moves to #40 on the Delhi State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹2.02 Lakhs

It was a day for the women of poker to shine! And just hours before Nikita Fernandes locked down a Bronze Medal in the NPS#167 Marathon, Neha ‘bugsy’ Kamath grabbed a Bronze of her own.

Kamath, a two-time (7-Max) Daily SPRINT champion with an impressive 19th-place finish in the G.O.A.T. 2.0., had been searching for her first win of the year, chasing that elusive Gold since topping the Daily Boost in February. Armed with two bullets, Kamath entered the NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) and fought her way to the podium. This strong showing earned Kamath her first-ever NPS medal (a Bronze) and a sweet ₹2.10 Lakhs (₹56,929 in bounties), placing her at #33 on the Karnataka State Leaderboard.

Kamath is now the fourth female player to medal in the ongoing series, joining Ha Rinu, Nayantara Singh, and Nikita Fernandes. With another cash finish in the NPS#166 Slamdunk (120th for ₹2,604), Kamath’s Thursday winnings totalled nearly ₹2.13 Lakhs.

Neha Kamath’s online stats (PokerBaazi and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹57.75 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹26 Lakhs | Moves to #33 on the Karnataka State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹2.02 Lakhs

While Puneet ‘daveteran’ Dave grabbed fifth place for ₹1.15 Lakhs (₹32,514 in bounties), long-time reg Anmol ‘airball’ Narang, a former The Millionaire champion, completed the NPS #164 (PLO-6) #Knockout (PKO) final table, taking home a respectable ₹86,179 (₹25,429 in bounties) for his sixth-place finish.

Adding to the incredible day at NPS India 2025, the ₹2,875 buy-in NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) didn’t just meet its advertised guarantee; it obliterated it, generating a tempting ₹31.72 Lakhs prize pool. The top 219 places all got a taste of the winnings, each pocketing at least ₹3,750, further fuelling the excitement for the final days of this epic series.

Final Table Results (Including Bounties)

1. Samarth ‘tiltsingh’ Bhandari – ₹4,03,508
2. Shaurya ‘SmartFish’ Kohli – ₹2,11,781
3. Neha ‘bugsy’ Kamat – ₹2,10,379
4. Acegikmoqsu – ₹1,17,775
5. Puneet ‘daveteran’ Dave – ₹1,15,264
6. Anmol ‘airball’ Narang – ₹86,179

NPS#165 Megadive – ₹20 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹2,300

Entries – 543

Re-entries – 615

Prize Pool – ₹23,16,000

Places Paid – 194

Day 25 of NPS India 2025 brought the spotlight back to the tables with seven players rising to the top, two of whom clinched their second Gold Medals of the series. And what ties these two champions together? Both were seated at the final table of PokerBaazi’s ₹20 Lakhs GTD NPS#165 Megadive.

Drish ‘dpatron’ Aggarwal emerged as the top dog, taking it down for ₹2.76 Lakhs, while Anish ‘Fishlover001’ Vijayvergia, though finishing eighth for ₹34,277, clearly wasn’t finished. Later in the evening, he rebounded to seize the NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT title, adding a second Gold Medal to his growing collection!

Let’s circle back to the NPS#165 Megadive. Aggarwal, who had previously conquered the NPS#90 Slamdunk and picked up the Bronze in the NPS#14 (PLO-6) Megadive, wasn’t afraid to put his chips on the line, firing a total of four bullets in the 4 PM Megadive. It was a bumpy ride at first, but he was unstoppable once he found his rhythm. He steamrolled through the 1,158-entry field (543 unique players) in an intense, nearly nine-hour grind, ultimately claiming his second Gold Medal of the series (his third medal this year and fourth overall).

This was also Aggarwal`s third-biggest score of the year, and the double Gold haul bumped him to #4 on the Delhi State Leaderboard with 22 points. However, he still has ground to cover, especially with Saahib Bawa dominating with a commanding 35 points.

The 2024 IPM#5 Megastack winner didn’t stop there. He cashed in two more NPS events on Thursday, taking his total take-home pay for the day to almost ₹2.87 Lakhs!

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹2,76,067

> 214th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹5,751

> 203rd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹4,976

Drish Aggarwal’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹1.94 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹34.18 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #3 | Moves to #4 on the Delhi State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 2 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹23.73 Lakhs

As the Megadive boiled down to the final three, it became an all-Delhi showdown. While Aggarwal took the Gold, Nikhel ‘Sailor24’ Anand fought fiercely, earning his first-ever NPS medal. After entering the event three times, Anand walked away with the Silver Medal (his first NPS medal) and a personal-best ₹1.90 Lakhs. A small score in the NPS#166 Slamdunk (67th for ₹4,443) bumped his Thursday earnings to just under ₹1.95 Lakhs, landing him at #34 on the Delhi State Leaderboard.

Nikhel Anand’s online stats (PokerBaazi, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹90.72 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹14.04 Lakhs | Moves to #34 on the Delhi State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹2.94 Lakhs

Also in the thick of it was poker streamer Nitin ‘Gambler42’ Rawat, currently holding the #3 spot on the Delhi State Leaderboard. Already a member of the exclusive club of just five players with three Gold Medals in the ongoing series, Rawat had a shot at becoming the first to claim a fourth. He wasn’t shy about investing, firing five bullets in the NPS#165 Megadive, but had to settle for his career-third Bronze Medal and a respectable ₹1.45 Lakhs.

Rawat, who won the 2024 WPT India Online Main Event and stood on the podium at the EndBoss 2021, has been on fire at the series. With five NPS medals, including Gold in the NPS#85 (7-Max) Friday Deepstack and NPS#136 Marathon, he’s closing in on ₹50 Lakhs in lifetime NPS winnings. He added close to ₹1.66 Lakhs to his series haul last night, with deep runs across four NPS events!

> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#165 Megadive for ₹1,44,982

> 72nd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹8,294

> 102nd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹6,850

> 196th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹5,751

Nitin Rawat’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹6.08 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹2.74 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #3 | Ranked #3 on the Delhi State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Gold, 1 Silver & 3 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹47.41 Lakhs

The NPS#165 Megadive final table was a hotbed of talent. Nikesh ‘Durr102’ Chawla, who’d previously grabbed a Silver in the NPS#136 Marathon on Saturday, finished fourth for ₹1.08 Lakhs. Hitesh ‘hiteshbhai’ Batra took fifth for ₹77,818, while Bharath ‘hzgod’ Kumar followed in sixth for ₹57,437. Tanmay ‘Truman’ Benara, an NPS stalwart who claimed Gold in the NPS#83 (5-Max) Hyper SPRINT, finished seventh for ₹44,930, while last night’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT Gold Medallist, Anish ‘Fishlover001’ Vijayvergia, rounded out the final table in eighth place for ₹34,277!

Thursday saw a complete sweep of guarantee-crushing turnouts at the NPS India 2025. The ₹2,300 buy-in NPS#165 Megadive was another resounding success, generating a ₹23.16 Lakhs prize pool. The top 194 players made it into the money, each collecting at least ₹3,937—over 1.7 times their buy-in—as the records keep falling in this legendary series.

Final Table Results

1. Drish ‘dpatron’ Aggarwal – ₹2,76,067
2. Nikhel ‘Sailor24’ Anand – ₹1,90,375
3. Nitin ‘Gambler42’ Rawat – ₹1,44,982
4. Nikesh ‘Durr102’ Chawla – ₹1,08,389
5. Hitesh ‘hiteshbhai’ Batra – ₹77,818
6. Bharath ‘hzgod’ Kumar – ₹57,437
7. Tanmay ‘Truman’ Benara – ₹44,930
8. Anish ‘Fishlover001’ Vijayvergia – ₹34,277

NPS#166 Slamdunk – ₹15 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹920

Entries – 974

Re-entries – 941

Prize Pool – ₹15,32,000

Places Paid – 295

The NPS India 2025 isn’t just a poker series; it’s a proving ground for emerging talent – and Thursday’s action kept that narrative burning bright. As the trend of first-time champions continued, three of the day’s seven victors grabbed their first-ever NPS Gold Medals.

One of the most compelling stories of the day belonged to Siddharth ‘sidkid’ Kewalramani, a long-time grinder who finally enjoyed his moment in the sun—and what a glorious moment it was!

Kewalramani, a PokerBaazi player since December 2019, has been a sporadic but dedicated player, notching up several deep runs over the years. While victory had often eluded him, he’d come close on multiple occasions—most prominently with a third-place finish in the APT Online India 2021 Main Event, where he banked a phenomenal ₹19.54 Lakhs, still his career-best score. He also holds a Silver Medal from the 2021 NPS#22 PKO for ₹1.42 Lakhs, a clear indication of his potential. But on Day 25 of NPS India 2025, everything finally clicked.

The ₹15 Lakhs GTD NPS#166 Slamdunk, one of the evening’s featured tournaments, kicked off at 5:30 PM, attracting a monstrous field of 1,915 entries (974 unique players), all drawn in by the accessible ₹920 buy-in. Kewalramani fired two bullets and navigated one of the day’s most challenging fields. With a combination of skill, resilience, and precise timing, he outlasted everyone in a gruelling 9.5-hour marathon, emerging as the last player standing and claiming ₹1.71 Lakhs – his second-largest career score, his first-ever tournament title, and his second NPS medal – this time, a well-earned Gold!

Kewalramani’s victory was more than just a personal triumph; it also contributed to Maharashtra’s expanding medal dominance. He became the 31st player to win Gold for Maharashtra this series and made his debut on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard at #31.

Siddharth Kewalramani’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹42.60 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹21.39 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #1 | Moves to #31 on the Maharashtra State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 1 Gold & 1 Silver | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹3.44 Lakhs

While Kewalramani basked in the glow of his maiden title run in NPS#166 Slamdunk, breathing down his neck was one of the most consistent and formidable grinders in the Indian circuit— Rajneesh ‘msdhoni’ Thakur. A name that’s become synonymous with high volume, disciplined play, and big-stage success, Thakur delivered another classic performance.

After a Gold-winning start in NPS#13 Deepdive, Thakur came incredibly close to another victory in the NPS#166 Slamdunk. Entering the 5:30 PM event three times, he navigated the guarantee-crushing field and fought his way to the heads-up showdown. Though the Gold just barely slipped through his fingers, Thakur locked in ₹1.17 Lakhs in prize money, his career-third Silver Medal (his seventh NPS medal overall), and his second medal of this series. This made him one of only 94 players to win multiple medals at the festival, and it propelled him to #7 on the Delhi State Leaderboard.

Rajneesh Thakur is a volume machine—and Day 25 was a perfect example. Along with his runner-up finish, he cashed in three other NPS tournaments and one on Adda52, with his Thursday earnings settling just under ₹1.56 Lakhs. The grind continues to pay off. With 113 cashes across all 170 tournaments played so far at the NPS India 2024, Thakur continues to blaze a trail. He’s currently ranked #18 on the NPS Series Leaderboard with 26,008 points and sits at #9 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard.

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹1,17,045

> 59th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹17,670

> 22nd in Adda52’s Mystery Bounty for ₹9,625

> 106th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#164 (PLO-6) Knockout (PKO) for ₹6,650

> 214th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#167 Marathon for ₹4,976

Rajneesh Thakur’s NPS stats: Moves to #18 on the NPS Series Leaderboard | Moves at #7 on the Delhi State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Gold, 3 Silver & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹71.18 Lakhs | Moves to #9 on PokerBaazi’s 2025 POY Leaderboard

Not far behind was Satyam ‘AnakinSkywa1keR’ Verma, who’s enjoying a serious hot streak at NPS India 2025. A decorated player with a proven track record at this grand stage – he won his first medal of the series (a Gold) in the NPS#41 (6-Max) SPRINT last week and followed it up with a Silver in the NPS#116 (7-Max) SPRINT. Last night, he captured his third medal of this series (sixth medal overall), a Bronze, after finishing third in the NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹86,558. This made him one of 37 players to win three or more medals at this festival, boosting him to #4 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Verma cashed in two more NPS events for a total Thursday take of nearly ₹1.41 Lakhs.

> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s NPS#166 Slamdunk for ₹86,558

> 11th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#170 (7-Max) SPRINT for ₹44,474

> 148th in PokerBaazi’s NPS#169 Deepdive for ₹9,690

Satyam Verma’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52, PokerStars India and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹6.61 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹2.34 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #1 | Moves to #4 on the Rajasthan State Leaderboard | NPS Medals Won: 3 Gold, 2 Silver & 1 Bronze | Lifetime NPS Winnings: ₹43.63 Lakhs

The NPS#166 Slamdunk was further lit up by the final table runs of Ishaan ‘Fisherman15’ Chetani (5th for ₹44,428), Kripansh ‘GentMrK’ Khosla (7th for ₹25,278), and Akshay ‘Alars07’ Gandharv (8th for ₹20,376), all of them making their first big splash this series.

With its enticing ₹920 buy-in, NPS#166 Slamdunk joined the guarantee-crushing trend at NPS India 2025 on Thursday, breaching its advertised ₹15 Lakhs guarantee by ₹32,000. The top 295 players walked away with at least₹1,532, keeping the action and the rewards flowing in this groundbreaking series.

Final Table Results

1. Siddharth ‘sidkid’ Kewalramani – ₹1,71,124
2. Rajneesh ‘msdhoni’ Thakur – ₹1,17,045
3. Satyam ‘AnakinSkywa1keR’ Verma – ₹86,558
4. paise – ₹63,884
5. Ishaan ‘Fisherman15’ Chetani – ₹44,428
6. Rsbolte1528 – ₹30,793
7. Kripansh ‘GentMrK’ Khosla – ₹25,278
8. Akshay ‘Alars07’ Gandharv – ₹20,376

₹10 Crores GTD NPS Main Event – Qualifier 5

Q5 > Entries – 412 | Re-entries – 206 | Survivors – 39 | Chip Leader – ‘Pocket_aces’ (1,533,000)

Combined > Entries – 1,970 | Re-entries – 928 | Survivors – 203 (unique) | Overall Chip Leader – ‘Pocket_aces’ (1,533,000)

₹1 Crore GTD NPS Golden Rush – Qualifier 5

Q5 > Entries – 456 | Re-entries – 298 | Survivors – 71 | Chip Leader – ‘Joeadam’ (788,000)

Combined > Entries – 2,664 | Re-entries – 1,793 | Survivors – 475 (unique) | Overall Chip Leader – ‘Joeadam’ (788,000)

Junglee Poker

‘arnis7792677’ won the ₹8 Lakhs GTD Thursday Mini Highroller for ₹1.94 Lakhs.

‘zrock’ (Won ₹3 Lakhs GTD Thursday Thunder for ₹80,012), Kamal ‘syrubinek’ Punjabi (Won ₹80K GTD Wednesday Sunsetter for ₹16,910), and ‘suppressor7’ (Won ₹60K GTD Hangover for ₹11,712) won the other Thursday marquees on Junglee Poker.

Adda52

Anurag ‘NormanBates’ Srivastava won the ₹25 Lakhs GTD Maverick for ₹3.30 Lakhs.

The MasterMinds Arena title winners of the day included Suraj ’Iamondrugs’ Bhan (Won ₹5 Lakhs GTD MMA Mega PKO 8-Max for ₹1.13 Lakhs), Niteen ‘niteenplus’ Raj (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD MMA Monster Stack for ₹46,229), ‘Roshan7299’ (Won ₹2.50 Lakhs GTD MMA Turbo 6-Max for ₹40,952), ‘Roshan7299’ (Won ₹1.25 Lakhs GTD MMA Mystery Bounty for ₹22,590), ‘siva9889’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD MMA PKO for ₹21,556), ‘Adharanan’ (Won ₹75K GTD MMA Daily for ₹17,338), and ‘shimbhu111’ (Won ₹50K GTD MMA PLO4 Bounty for ₹14,856).

₹25 Lakhs GTD MMA Main Event – Day 1D

Day 1D > Entries – 68 | Re-entries – 27 | Re-buys – 2 | Survivors – 7 | Chip Leader – Deepak ‘sambahadur’ Verma (470,074)

Combined > Entries – 274 | Re-entries – 126 | Re-buys – 13 | Survivors – 49 | Overall Chip Leader – Deepak ‘sambahadur’ Verma (470,074)

Pocket52

‘Humberto’ won the ₹2.50 Lakhs GTD (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo for ₹62,170.

Spartan Poker

‘Redwith9’ (Won ₹4 Lakhs GTD Supreme for ₹76,400), Jatin ‘chipUp124’ Sablani (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Spotlight for ₹44,400), ‘anshu86’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Monster Stack for ₹33,300), ‘9X7X3X2X3X’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Monster Turbo for ₹33,300), and ‘nonsense76’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Daily Kickoff for ₹24,600) won the Thursday marquees on Spartan Poker.

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