WPT Championship Cambodia 2025: Nikesh Chawla & Somashekar Kurkhepally Triple India’s Title Count in the Season-Opener

The WPT Championship Cambodia 2025 at NagaWorld, Phnom Penh, is nearing its grand finale, and the Indian contingent isn’t just participating—they’re making a statement. Even with just five days remaining, the story unfolding is one of Indian poker prowess. A remarkable 80 cashes, 30 final table appearances, six near misses with runner-up finishes, three podium finishes, and now, a trio of title victories – the numbers speak for themselves!

This performance builds on the momentum from Poker Dream 15 Malaysia and APT Manila Poker Classic 2025. Indian players are showing they’re a force to be reckoned with in the South Asian poker scene.

Nikesh Chawla & Somashekar Kurkhepally Bring More Titles Home

Arjun Agarwal ignited the spark with a stunning victory in Event #4: $1,650 Single Day Megastack Mini HR. Then, on February 18, the fire intensified. Nikesh Chawla and Somashekar Kurkhepally added two more titles to the Indian tally, their names now etched in the WPT annals.

Event #43: $2,000 Turbo High Roller saw a dramatic climax: an all-Indian heads-up battle. Nikesh Chawla emerged with his first live title and a career-best $58,080 (~₹50.33 Lakhs). He struck a deal with fellow Indian Asish Ghosh, who earned an equally massive $57,171 (~₹49.54 Lakhs). This win boosted Chawla’s series winnings to $61,911 (~₹53.65 Lakhs), while Ghosh leads the Indian pack with total series earnings of $87,351 (~₹75.70 Lakhs).

Meanwhile, Somashekar Kurkhepally continued his love affair with Cambodia, capturing his third career WPT title in Event #42: $600 Megastack. He navigated a tough field to grab the $29,978 (~₹25.98 Lakhs) first-place prize, bringing his series earnings to $36,771 (~₹31.87 Lakhs).

Karan Sitlani & Priyank Gupta Make Deep Runs

Karan Sitlani, the online regular who made a splash at the 2024 WPT Cambodia—Passport to the World Championship, winning his first live title in Event #10: $800 8-Max Survivor 1.5K Bounty, continued to impress. Though another WPT title eluded him, Sitlani conquered the $250 Daily Megastack (not an official WPT Cambodia event), earning $8,171 (~₹7.08 Lakhs). Another fifth-place finish in Event #45: $400 Deepstack Freezeout added another $2,043 (~₹1.77 Lakhs), bringing his total series winnings to $3,091 (~₹2.68 Lakhs).

Other notable Indian finishes in Event #45: $400 Deepstack Freezeout included:

• Sumit Sapra – 8th for $1,205 (~₹1.04 Lakhs)
• Ankit Jain – 12th for $960 (~₹83,000)

Australia’s Ahmed Abdellatif won the event, taking home $10,650.

Event #46: $230 PLO Big Bounty saw another near miss for India. Priyank Gupta battled hard but finished second, earning $1,810 (~₹1.57 Lakhs) after a heads-up deal with Australia’s Vasily Kwong, who also received the same prize.

Team India Scores at WPT Championship Cambodia 2025

WPT Cambodia Championship Heats Up as Indians Storm Day 1A

The series’ main event, the $3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship, is officially underway, setting the stage for high-stakes action at NagaWorld. Day 1A, which played out on February 19, saw a strong turnout of 347 entries, with 109 players advancing to Day 2.

Austria’s Joshua Gebissa topped the day-end chip counts with a towering 571,000 stack, but India’s contingent made its mark in a big way, with 14 players bagging and tagging for Day 2.

Among the Indian challengers, Apoorva Goel finished best with an impressive 321,000 chips, positioning himself as a strong contender. Asish Ghosh (254,500) and Natural8 India Executive Director Kunal Patni (215,500) – both players riding high on form – also ended the flight with formidable stacks, adding to India’s growing momentum in the series.

• Apoorva Goel – 321,000
• Asish Ghosh – 254,500
• Kunal Patni – 215,500
• Ankit Ahuja – 145,000
• Aditya Sushant – 100,000
• Abhinav Iyer – 93,500
• Ritesh Khatwani – 73,500
• Somashekar Kurkhepally – 69,000
• Ankit Wadhawan – 65,500
• Harsh Bubna – 60,000
• Arun Sriram – 49,500
• Karan Sitlani – 47,000
• Vishal Ojha – 39,800
• Abhijith Cheruku – 31,600

With Day 1B underway, even more Indian players are expected to join the fray, further strengthening India’s presence in this marquee event.

Alexander Puchalski Triumphs in Record-Breaking WPT Prime Cambodia

The $1,100 WPT Prime Cambodia Championship shattered records, attracting a historic 1,484 entries and demolishing the previous high of 1,050 set at the NagaWorld Integrated Resort. The $1,429,080 prize pool was distributed among the top 186 finishers, making it one of the largest WPT Prime events ever.

Thailand-based Canadian pro Alexander Puchalski emerged victorious after an intense two-and-a-half-hour heads-up battle against Bangladesh’s Khorshad Sagor. Puchalski’s second title in Asia came with a scorching $233,680 payday, including a $10,400 seat to the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December.

Runner-up Khorshad Sagor, one of around a dozen players from Bangladesh at the festival, earned his first recorded live cash, becoming only the fourth Bangladeshi to register a live poker result on The Hendon Mob database. His $150,000 runner-up prize represents a significant achievement for Bangladesh in live poker.

WPT Championship Cambodia 2025 Winners

Nikesh Chawla Wins Maiden Live Title in Event #43: $2,000 Turbo High Roller (₹50.33 Lakhs)

A turbo-charged finale, an all-Indian showdown, and a career-defining victory—Event #43: $2,000 Turbo High Roller delivered a thrilling spectacle!

The up-and-coming Nikesh Chawla emerged victorious in this fast-paced battle, edging past the more seasoned Asish Ghosh to claim his maiden live title and a career-best $58,080 (~₹50.33 Lakhs).

While the official reports did not confirm a heads-up deal, Ghosh walked away with an equally impressive $57,171 (~₹49.54 Lakhs) – also his biggest-ever live score.

Nikesh Chawla’s rise in the live poker circuit has been spectacular. His first recorded live score dates back to the DPT May 2024 Highroller, where he finished seventh for ₹5.71 Lakhs—until now, his biggest payday. The poker world took notice of his potential when he competed in the WPT Cambodia – Passport to the World Championship last July.

His breakthrough, however, came in this series, where he had already posted two deep runs before sealing the deal in the $2,000 Turbo High Roller:

• Event #43: $2,000 Turbo High Roller – 1st for $58,080 (~₹50.33 Lakhs)
• Event #20: $550 Deepstack 20/15/10 – 3rd for $2,920 (~₹2.53 Lakhs)
• Event #23: $400 Megastack Action Clock 30 sec – 17th for $911 (~₹79,000)

With this victory, Chawla’s cumulative earnings from the series skyrocketed to $61,911 (~₹53.65 Lakhs)!

While the title eluded Asish Ghosh has been on a phenomenal run in the series. A familiar face in the Asian poker circuit, particularly Cambodia, Ghosh captured his first live title at the 2023 APPT Cambodia’s Event #37: $500 Mix PLO/NLH.

His runner-up finish in the $2,000 Turbo High Roller was just the cherry on top of an already successful series. He has now cashed in four events, accumulating $87,351 (~₹75.70 Lakhs)—the highest earnings by any Indian at the festival so far!

• Event #43: $2,000 Turbo High Roller – 2nd for $57,171 (~₹49.54 Lakhs)
• Event #19: SHR Warmup – 5th for $26,852 (~₹23.27 Lakhs)
• Event #28: $1,100 WPT Prime Cambodia – 152nd for $2,000 (~₹1.73 Lakhs)
• Event #3: Championship Warm Up – 39th for $1,328 (~₹1.15 Lakhs)

The $2,000 Turbo High Roller saw 141 entries, generating a massive $253,024 prize pool. The top 18 finishers walked away with payouts, including three-time WSOP bracelet winner (and newly married) Upeshka De Silva, who became the first in-the-money elimination, busting in 18th place for $4,618.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Nikesh Chawla – $58,080*
2. Asish Ghosh – $57,171*
3. Andres Vasquez Fajardo – $26,441
4. Peter Manic – $15,941
5. Yita Choong – $12,398
6. Manuel Carvalho – $10,374
7. Jon Kyte – $8,982
8. Jacopo Eutizi – $7,983
9. Ryan Plant – $7,072

*denotes a heads-up deal

Somashekar Kurkhepally Clinches Third WPT Title in Event #42: $600 Megastack

Another day, another triumph for India’s Somashekar Kurkhepally! The talented pro continued his dominance on the Cambodian felts by taking down Event #42: $600 Megastack, outlasting a packed 325-entry field to collect $29,978 (~₹25.98 Lakhs) and his third WPT trophy!

Sweden’s Patrik Selin put up a strong fight but had to settle for the runner-up payout of $19,953, while Indo-Swiss pro Dinesh Alt rounded out the podium, finishing third for $20,517.

There’s something about Cambodia that brings out the best in Somashekar Kurkhepally. He won his first WPT title at the 2022 WPT Prime Cambodia Bounty Event, and he followed it up last year with another title-winning run in Event #7: $350 Bounty at the 2024 WPT Cambodia—Passport to the World Championship.

With this latest win, Kurkhepally has now bagged three WPT trophies—all in Cambodia!

Kurkhepally had already put up deep runs in two previous tournaments before clinching the $600 Megastack title, pushing his total series earnings to $36,771 (~₹31.87 Lakhs).

• Event #42: $600 Megastack – 1st for $29,978 (~₹25.98 Lakhs)
• Event #24: $3,000 Mystery Bounty HR – 13th for $5,500 (~₹4.77 Lakhs)
• Event #9: Mystery Bounty – 28th for $1,293 (~₹1.12 Lakhs)

It wasn’t just Kurkhepally making India proud—five more Indian pros notched up scores in the $600 Megastack. Harsh Bubna, finishing fourth for $19,258 (~₹16.69 Lakhs), and Nishant Kumar, placing sixth for $6,750 (~₹5.85 Lakhs), both making it to the final table.

Vishal Ojha (14th for $2,639; ~₹2.29 Lakhs), Digvijay Lamba (19th for $1,804; ~₹1.56 Lakhs), and Arun Sriram (29th for $1,081; ~₹94,000) rounded out the Indian scorers in the event.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Somashekar Kurkhepally – $29,978
2. Patrik Selin – $19,953
3. Dinesh Alt – $20,517
4. Harsh Bubna – $19,258
5. Samuel Deering – $8,154
6. Nishant Kumar – $6,750
7. Jennifer Cassell – $5,669
8. John Perry – $4,656
9. Monika Zukowicz – $3,679

Content & Images Courtesy: So Much Poker

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