PKL 12: Top five raiders to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi 2025

Raiders have made the headlines in PKL 12 Auction with big-money deals.

Raiders have always been the most dominant force in the court for most of the history of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). However, over the years, we have seen defenders and all-rounders take matters into their hands and force the raiders to upskill their moves. The raiders have done exactly that; they have come up with innovative steps like Dubki under the chain and frog jumps over the chains.

Only the best players reinvent themselves with time and keep themselves at the top of their game. Moving into the next season, it will be interesting to see if the Raiders can get back to dominating in the centre. The Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 is about to begin in less than a week, on August 29, 2025.

We saw some serious raids by the exceptional raiders in the previous season. As we are about to enter the next PKL season, let us have a look at the top 5 raiders to keep an eye on in PKL 12.

Also Read: PKL 12 schedule undergoes major change; Delhi leg to begin earlier

Ayan Lohchab (Patna Pirates)

Ayan Lohchab was one of the most efficient players of the Patna Pirates. Although Devank Dalal turned out to be the most successful raider of the season, Lohchab made a remarkable mark in his debut season. The young raider worked spectacularly throughout the season as the second raider and helped Devank to spend more time by reviving him consistently.

Moreover, Lohchab shone in many clutch moments and gave important acceleration to the team during tough times. Lohchab scored 193 points in the season, of which 184 points came as raid points and 9 as tackle points. He might have to play the role of the primary raider this season, and it makes his presence even more crucial and interesting to look out for.

Ajit Chouhan (U Mumba)

Ajit Chouhan was another debutant who played a significant role in his team’s success. Chouhan turned out to be their primary raider, and he took the responsibility pretty well. Out of the 443 raid points scored by U Mumba, Chouhan scored 186 of them.

Once again, Chouhan is going to be the go-to raider for the captain, Sunil Kumar. Other than him, the team focused more on picking the all-rounders and young raiders, making Chouhan’s performance even more decisive.

Arjun Deshwal (Tamil Thalaivas)

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Arjun Deshwal has been one of the best raiders in the last few seasons of the PKL. He has maintained his position among the top raiders and is turning out to get himself onto the list of the best raiders in the league. Last season, he didn’t get any consistent support from the other raiders, leading to elimination in the playoffs.

Deshwal scored more than 50% of the raid points for his previous franchise. However, this time it won’t be the same case. He has the legendary figure, Pawan Sehrawat, beside him, along with Narender Kandola. It will be interesting to see how he operates in the presence of these supporting raiders this season.

Devank Dalal (Bengal Warriorz)

Devank Dalal was another surprise package from Season 11. Patna Pirates walked into the season with a young raiding department and came out with two big achievers, and one of them is Devank Dalal, who will represent Bengal Warriorz in PKL 12. He is the most expensive raider (INR 2.205 Cr.)of the PKL 12 auction, and will have all eyes on him.

Dalal was the most successful raider of PKL 11, as he scored 301 raid points, which calculates to almost 53% of the total raid points (568) scored by the Pirates. Bengal Warriorz have spent a lot on a single buy, but can Devank Dalal continue his stellar performance this season? We will find out soon.

Ashu Malik (Dabang Delhi)

Ashu Malik is undoubtedly going to be one of the raiders to keep an eye on in PKL 12. He has been one of the most consistent players in the PKL for the last couple of years. Moreover, his game has been consistently improving, which makes him even more destructive for the opponents.

Malik scored 262 raid points out of 463 raid points scored by his team, Dabang Delhi, which calculates to nearly 57%. He has been retained and named captain once again. With much more experienced defenders like Fazel Atrachali and Surjeet Singh on his side, we can expect more from Malik on the raids.

From the last two seasons, he has been narrowly missing the spot of the top raider. Can he change that stat and get himself the title of the most successful raider in the upcoming season?

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