PKL 12: Who has replaced injured Ashish Narwal in Haryana Steelers squad

Farzan has been a sports journalist since 2020, closely following Olympic sports and kabaddi.

Published at :August 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM

Modified at :August 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM

PKL 12: Who has replaced injured Ashish Narwal in Haryana Steelers squad

Haryana Steelers will start their campaign against Bengal Warriorz in PKL 12.

PKL 12 will begin on Friday, August 29, 2025. The first leg will be played in Vizag. Haryana Steelers suffer a major setback ahead of the upcoming season.

Haryana Steelers all-rounder Ashish Narwal has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, the franchise announced this news via a social media post on Wednesday, August 27. The Steelers bought him at the PKL 12 auction for INR 15 lakh.

Ashish Narwal began his PKL career with Patna Pirates in 2019. He then joined the Haryana Steelers and served the franchise for three seasons, earning a total of 243 points in 54 matches between PKL Seasons 8 and 10.

The 24-year-old player earned 52 points (35 raid points and 17 tackle points) in 20 matches in the previous edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.

Overall, Ashish Narwal has bagged 300 points in 81 matches across five seasons. He has earned 219 raid points, including 7 Super Raids and 4 Super 10s. Moreover, the budding all-rounder has 81 tackle points, including 5 Super Tackles, thus far in the league.

Also Read: PKL 12: Where & how to watch Pro Kabaddi 2025 for free in India?

Neeraj Kumar named Ashish Narwal’s replacement

The Haryana Steelers have called in right cover Neeraj Kumar as a replacement for the injured Ashish Narwal ahead of the 12th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. This will be Neeraj’s second stint with the club, having previously played for the franchise in 2017.

He began his PKL career with the Steelers in Season 5, scoring 13 points in 17 games. After missing the sixth season, Neeraj joined Patna Pirates ahead of Season 7 and played four seasons with the franchise, serving the club until Season 10.

Last year, the Indian defender earned 21 points in 18 matches for the Gujarat Giants. Neeraj has 208 points, including 15 Super Tackles and 10 High 5s in 115 games across six editions in the league.

The season kicks off on August 29 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag, where Telugu Titans will host Tamil Thalaivas in what promises to be a season-defining opener.

When will PKL 12 start?

PKL 12 is set to begin on Friday, August 29.

Which cities will host PKL 12?

Vizag, Jaipur, Chennai, and Delhi are set to host PKL 12.

Who are the defending champions of PKL?

Haryana Steelers are the defending champions of PKL. They defeated the Patna Pirates to lift their maiden title in Season 11.

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Mohamed Farzan

Farzan is a journalist at Khel Now covering Indian Olympic sports and kabaddi. With five years of experience working with major sports organizations like Chennaiyin FC, Dabang Delhi K.C., Rajasthan Royals, and Yuva Kabaddi Series, he brings diverse expertise. Farzan has covered two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games, and one Asian Games, making his knowledge of Indian sports broad and versatile.