Online Rankings: Abilash Bala’s Five-Day Heater Makes Him Week`s Top Dog; Tarun Goyal Still Ahead in Repeat POY Crown Hunt

In this feature, we bring you the top three weekly, monthly, and yearly performers every Sunday. These rankings are based on cumulative winnings (cashes). However, the rankings only include players registered to our online ranking system, so hurry up and register if you haven’t signed up on PokerGuru yet!

Even with cricket fever gripping the nation thanks to the IPL 2025, the online poker scene in India is riding high. March was huge, fueled by the record-breaking National Poker Series India 2025 and April’s keeping that energy pulsing. PokerBaazi tossed more logs on the fire by covering TDS on players’ first three cashouts this month – a serious perk for anyone grinding the tables. Add to that the high-roller action on Natural8 India and the ongoing Millions Week – with a mind-boggling ₹15 Crores potentially landing in the Main Event champ’s lap on Monday – and you’ve got a recipe for serious leaderboard shake-ups. If an Indian player goes deep in that massive event, the current POY picture could change dramatically. For now, though, a familiar trio holds the top spots.

The 2025 Player of the Year Race is Heating Up

Tarun Goyal remains the man out front in the Player of the Year (POY) race. He’s held the top spot for eight straight weeks now, continuing the incredible form that saw him shatter records in 2024. Last year, he put up an eye-watering ₹12.39 Crores in annual cashes and nearly ₹10 Crores in profits – numbers that dwarfed anything seen since our tracking began in 2019. His persistent command recalls the kind of run Young Gun Gaurav Sood had during his three POY victories. Since landing that monster ₹2.74+ Crores score in a mid-February high roller, Goyal hasn’t slowed down much. He boasts ₹4.44 Crores in 2025 winnings and ₹2.62 Crores in profit. However, what once looked like an untouchable lead is definitely shrinking. He’s still over 20% ahead, but the chase is definitely on.

Just a couple of weeks back, Anant Purohit catching Goyal seemed like a long shot. Then came last week’s performance – a jaw-dropping ₹2.03 Crores week, powered by a career-defining ₹1.92 Crores victory in Natural8 India’s PLOSSUS Bounty 400. Suddenly, the 2024 POY runner-up had closed in considerably on Goyal, currently boasting ₹3.61 Crores in earnings and ₹1.04 Crores in profit for the year. That incredible run slashed Goyal’s lead by two-thirds. The big question now is whether Purohit can carry this momentum through April and finally overtake the leader. His current form suggests it’s entirely possible.

Trailing these two front-runners is Ankit Bajaj, holding steady at #3. While significantly behind the top pair with ₹1.34 Crores in winnings and ₹90.14 Lakhs in profit, he’s still in the conversation. His unforgettable ₹1 Crore mystery bounty hit on Natural8 India earlier this year remains one of the standout scores of 2025. March also saw Bajaj grab Gold in NPS#119 Deepdive on PokerBaazi and take down another Mystery Bounty title on Adda52. Bajaj has put together a strong set of results, but with stiff competition right behind him, he’ll need to make a move soon to stay relevant in the POY race.

Climbing the ladder into the #4 position is Advait Rajguru, the PokerGuru Staking coach who finished #5 in last year’s POY standings. He now shows ₹1.11 Crores in annual earnings. Right behind him, Tushar Bhartia is still holding the #5 spot by the thinnest of margins, also with ₹1.11 Crores collected this year. Slipping down two places but still very much in the mix at #6 is Rising Star Aman Parakh with ₹1.09 Crores, making for a very tight race just behind the leaders.

Weekly Wrap: Bala’s Back With a Vengeance!

But the real fireworks this week belonged to Abilash Bala. He scripted an explosive comeback story, topping the weekly charts with ₹13.84 Lakhs in winnings and a very healthy ₹10.70 Lakhs in profit, thanks to an unbelievable five-day heater on PokerBaazi. After a quiet spell, Bala broke a four-month title-less streak by taking down The Big Show on Monday. That victory clearly flipped a switch. He followed up with a runner-up finish in The Endeavour on Tuesday, won Wednesday’s Big PLO-5, placed fourth in the Summit Lite on Thursday, and then captured The Quest Lite title on Friday. Bala is undeniably back in form, and this performance gives him a significant head start in the April standings.

Nipping at Bala’s heels for the week was Sagar Raj, who pulled in ₹13.05 Lakhs (weekly profits – ₹10.78 Lakhs). Raj came incredibly close to a Tuesday triple crown on PokerBaazi, winning The Endeavour and Daily Last Chance while finishing second in the Big PLO-5. With a strong track record both live and online and having finished #18 in the POY race last year, Raj is certainly one to watch this month this month.

Rounding out the weekly top three was Praveen KR, banking ₹12.31 Lakhs (weekly profits – ₹9.71 Lakhs). His week was defined by a Sunday heater on Adda52, where he won the Daily Deep Dive, took down the Sunday Head Hunter for ₹3.78 Lakhs, and chopped the Big Whale three ways for a ₹6.32 Lakhs score.

Just behind the top trio, Siddharth Arya Jolly continued his consistent play, landing at #4 for the week with ₹8.79 Lakhs (weekly profits – ₹6.15 Lakhs). Following him was Nishaanth S, the 2024 POY #4 finisher, at #5 with ₹8.20 Lakhs (weekly profits – ₹5.63 Lakhs). Nitesh Katiyar completed the top six weekly earners, collecting ₹8.13 Lakhs (weekly profits – ₹6.98 Lakhs).

Weekly Online Rankings (March 29 – April 4)

Yearly Online Rankings (January 1 – April 4)

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