PKL 12: Best player of each team in Pro Kabaddi 2025

Every team looks strong and balanced in PKL 12.

Pro Kabaddi League 12 is set to begin on Friday, August 29. Following the success of eleven thrilling seasons, PKL is set to enter an exciting new chapter. PKL 12 will see defending champions Haryana Steelers return for title defence after a stunning triumph in Season 11. 

All twelve franchises formed strong teams in the recently concluded auction. Every franchise has included a match winner in their squad for the upcoming season. Hence, the upcoming season is set to offer unprecedented levels of competition and entertainment.

In Season 12, every team has a trump card player who can change the course of the match on his own. On that note, let’s take a look at the best player of each team in PKL Season 12.

Also Read: PKL 12: Predicted captains of all teams for Pro Kabaddi 2025

List of each team’s best player-

Tamil Thalaivas – Arjun Deshwal

If there is one thing that makes a good player great, then it is consistency. No one has been more consistent than Arjun Deshwal in the last four seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League. He has scored 200+ points in each of the last four seasons, and no other player has been able to achieve it for three seasons in the last four years.

The 26-year-old is truly a Raid Machine, and he will be raring to prove a point to his previous franchise, which has released him to the surprise of many. He will renew his partnership with coach Sanjeev Baliyan for the sixth consecutive season across three years.

Arjun helped Jaipur win the title after eight years, and with Tamil Thalaivas entering their eighth PKL season, fans will be expecting the trophy to come home.

Jaipur Pink Panthers – Nitin Rawal

Nitin Rawal returns to a side where he had played his first four seasons, starting with the fifth edition. He has been a prolific all-rounder with 167 tackle points (at 44%, eight high 5s) and 144 (at 34.04%, two super 10s) after 103 matches.

The Indian international missed the tenth edition due to an injury but made a stunning comeback in the next one. Despite lacking support, he finished fifth on the list of most tackle points, with 74 tackle points in 22 fixtures (five High 5s).

The 27-year-old from Panipat is likely to be the captain for the Jaipur Pink Panthers and will also have the huge task of seamlessly replacing Ankush Rathee.

Also Read: Exclusive: Who will be the captain of Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 12? Coach Sanjeev Baliyan answers

Puneri Paltan – Aslam Inamdar

If Abinesh is for defence, Mohit is for raid, then it is Aslam Inamdar in the all-rounder department that Puneri Paltan found in season eight. He was nurtured by none other than Anup Kumar when he was Puneri’s head coach.

He guided the young team to the finals, and his composure on the mat to control the game was a joy to watch. The fans can expect the man who ended their trophy drought to bring another one home.

Gujarat Giants – Mohammadreza Shadloui

Mohammadreza Shadloui will once again be the crowd puller of the season. The showstopper has been sensational in the Pro Kabaddi League. In the four seasons he has played, he has played the finals thrice, winning it twice with two different teams.

Both came in the last two seasons, and the Iranian would want to make it three out of three. He won the Most Valuable Player award twice, and the Giants fans would be eager to see him wear the orange jersey.

Gujarat Giants were expected to snap him last season; however, they missed him, and the management would want to make amends this season to bring the trophy home.

Bengaluru Bulls – Ankush Rathee

Ankush Rathee is going to be the Bengaluru Bulls’ most experienced defender this season. He debuted for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 9 and was a spectacular contributor for them in all three seasons. Rathee was the leading scorer of the Pink Panthers’ defence in the previous season.

In his PKL career, Rathee has scored 227 tackle points, including 20 High 5s, and 15 super tackles in 69 matches. On the other hand, he is replacing Nitin Rawal for the Bulls, who was extraordinary in the previous season. It will be interesting to see if he can replace him with better results.

Bengal Warriorz – Devank Dalal

Devank Dalal will be the player to watch out for in the Bengal Warriorz squad. He turned out to be the best raider of PKL 11, with some incredible figures. Dalal turned the game around for Patna Pirates and took them to the finals with his impressive and aggressive raids.

The young raider scored 301 raid points in 25 matches to become the most successful raider of the season. He is going to be the key player for the Warriorz if they achieve good results in the upcoming season. The Warriorz have elected some strong players to create a well-balanced side. However, the results will depend on how well these players complement each other.

U Mumba – Sunil Kumar

Sunil Kumar, the most successful skipper in the history of the competition, will again have to play a huge role if U Mumba has to go all the way. Having debuted in the fourth season, the right cover has accumulated 390 tackle points in 160 matches, at a strike rate of 49% with twenty-three High 5s.

Having won the title with the Pink Panthers in the ninth instalment of the league, he broke his record of being the most expensive Indian defender in the PKL 11 auction. The 28-year-old from Sonipat delivered with 54 tackle points in 23 games, apart from also having the most number of assists.

Telugu Titans – Vijay Malik

Vijay Malik will have a lot of eyes on him in PKL 12. It hasn’t been announced yet, but Malik is probably going to be Telugu’s captain for the upcoming season.

He captained the Telugu Titans in the absence of Pawan Sehrawat in the previous season and led them splendidly. Malik’s leading capabilities and his raiding prowess make him one of the best players to watch out for in PKL 12.

Malik scored 172 raid points, including 7 Super 10s and 11 tackle points. Whereas in his overall PKL career, Malik scored 581 raid points, including 18 Super 10s and 92 tackle points, including 92 tackle points, making him the best all-rounder in the squad.

UP Yoddhas – Sumit Sangwan

Sumit is the most successful defender of the UP Yoddhas. He has been consistent since his debut in the Pro Kabaddi and will be the most crucial player of the team. The left corner will once again be responsible for stopping the top raiders and maintaining his team’s dominance.

Sangwan has played all 5 seasons for UP Yoddhas and scored 326 tackle points, including 24 High 5s, with an average of more than 65 points per season.

Dabang Delhi – Ashu Malik

Retaining Ashu Malik was the smartest decision taken by Dabang Delhi at the PKL 12 auction. However, to get his services, they had to pay a whopping INR 1.90 crore.

Despite the costly figure, he has been their outright best performer in the last two campaigns, scoring 280 and 265 points in seasons 10 and 11, respectively. If Delhi have to win the trophy this year, then Ashu’s consistent performance becomes important for the team.

Patna Pirates – Ankit Jaglan

The Patna Pirates paid a whopping sum of Rs. 1.573 Cr to exercise the FBM (one season) on Ankit Jaglan. He has been with Patna for the last two editions, having been included in the team after a tough bidding war during the PKL 10 auction.

The left corner had delivered straightaway, scoring 66 tackle points in 23 matches (four high 5s). With the additional responsibility of leading a young team, Ankit finished as the second-best defender in Season 11. He scored 79 tackle points in 25 outings, with four High-5s. The side would be glad to have this strong and sharp defender back in their ranks again.

Haryana Steelers – Naveen Kumar

Naveen Kumar was sold to the Haryana Steelers for ₹1.20 crores in the PKL season 12 auction. The Indian raider has been part of Dabang Delhi for six seasons since making his PKL debut.

He has amassed 1,120 points in 107 matches, including 16 Super Raids and 66 Super 10s. With Naveen Kumar joining a new franchise, he is expected to be a key raider for the defending champions in the upcoming PKL season.

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