PKL 12: Dabang Delhi's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats for Pro Kabaddi 2025

Dabang Delhi will start their campaign against Bengaluru Bulls in PKL 12.

Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 champions Dabang Delhi will be eager to reclaim the PKL title after crashing out in the semi-finals last season. They have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years. Delhi reached the playoffs in each of the previous six PKL seasons.

PKL 12 will see Dabang Delhi continue with Joginder Narwal as their head coach. Under his tutelage, Delhi were one of the most dominant teams last season. With 13 wins in 22 games, the Delhi-based outfit finished second in Season 11, before they lost to Patna Pirates in the semi-finals.

Dabang Delhi had the busiest time at the PKL Season 12 auction, as they bought 16 players in the two-day event. Having spent INR 4.899 crore, Delhi assembled a strong squad that covered most of their bases.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of Delhi before the PKL 12 action begins.

Dabang Delhi’s team profile-

Strengths

Dabang Delhi’s biggest strength are the quality and experience of their raiders and defenders. The Pro Kabaddi Season 8 winners used their Final Bid Match (FBM) card at the PKL 12 auction to retain their star raider Ashu Malik for two seasons for a whopping INR 1.90 crore.

Delhi have added talented raider Neeraj Narwal for INR 32.60 lakh and acquired the services of experienced raider Ajinkya Pawar for INR 13 lakh at the auction.

Additionally, Delhi have roped in Fazel Atrachali, the most successful defender in Pro Kabaddi League history, at the Season 12 Player Auction for his base price of INR 30 lakh. The Iranian left corner is the first player to reach 500 tackle points in the PKL and has already racked up 545 tackle points in 188 games so far.

Dabang Delhi have also snapped up seasoned right cover Surjeet Singh for INR 20 lakh, added Iranian right corner Amir Hossein Bastami for INR 30 lakh, and signed experienced left corner Saurabh Nandal for INR 13 lakh to bolster their defensive unit.

Also Read: PKL 12: Dabang Delhi’s full schedule & squad for Pro Kabaddi 2025

Weaknesses

Although Dabang Delhi have built a strong team on paper, the departure of their charismatic captain and star raider Naveen Kumar ahead of PKL Season 12 cannot be ignored.

Naveen was an integral member of Dabang Delhi since 2018, guiding the team to their maiden Pro Kabaddi title in 2022.

Representing the franchise, Naveen also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in back-to-back editions in Season 7 and 8. He earlier forged a successful partnership with Ashu Malik and created havoc in the opposition’s defence.

Moreover, Dabang Delhi might face a shortage of quality all-rounders in their squad in the upcoming season. Amit, Ashish Kumar Sangwan, Naveen, and Arkam Shaikh are the only recognised all-rounders in their squad, and they will need to produce impactful performances.

Opportunities

Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 will be a great opportunity for players like Neeraj Narwal, Anil Gurjar, Mohit, Vijay, and Akshit to step up and make the most of the chances they could receive in raiding.

While accomplished raider Ashu Malik will once again lead their attack, he will need support from other talented raiders if Dabang Delhi are to clinch the PKL 12 title.

After a below-par campaign with Bengal Warriorz last season, Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali will be hoping to return to his best and guide Delhi to PKL glory.

Also Read: PKL 12: What will be Dabang Delhi’s starting 7 in Pro Kabaddi 2025?

Threats

Dabang Delhi’s season will also largely depend on the form of Ashu Malik. Ashu has been one of the leading raiders in the league. He scored 538 raid points in the last two seasons.

Their squad also lacks quality all-rounders that could pose a significant area of concern to the team’s fortunes in the upcoming Pro Kabaddi season.

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