Habanos Cavalry Gold Cup 2025: Optiemus Achievers Win Thriller

The Habanos Cavalry Gold Cup 2025 has a new champion: Optiemus Achievers. They secured a dramatic 8-7 victory over Jindal Panthers in a pulsating final match played at the Jaipur Polo Ground in New Delhi. The decisive goal came in extra time, sealing a hard-fought win for Optiemus Achievers after a fiercely contested game. Chief of Army Staff and Indian Polo Association President, General Upendra Dwivedi, was the distinguished chief guest for the final. The week-long polo spectacle, organized by Chingari president Chetan Seth, culminated in this intense showdown. The Optiemus Achievers team comprised Gunner Uday Kumar Yadav, Hurr Ali, Shamsheer Ali, and Daniel Otamendi. The Jindal Panthers featured Lok Sabha MP Naveen Jindal, Mahesh Sharma, Jaun Agustin G Grossi, and Simran Singh Shergill. Polo, a sport known for its unique rules where males and females can compete together, was played in four seven-minute chakras. The game saw Optiemus Achievers lead 2-1 after the first chakra and extend it to 5-3 by halftime. A goalless third chakra kept the tension high. In the final chakra, Jindal Panthers mounted a spirited comeback, netting four goals to tie the score at 7-7, pushing the match into overtime. It was Shamsheer Ali who ultimately broke the deadlock, scoring the winning goal for Optiemus Achievers.