PKL 2025: Top 5 raiders to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi League season 12

The 12th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is set to kick off on Friday, August 29, with Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas facing off in Visakhapatnam.

Last season, plenty of raiders — of old and new — performed for their respective franchises and gave kabaddi lovers a reason to celebrate. Here’s a look at some of the names who could light up the mat, and the screen, in this season’s PKL:

Devank Dalal (Bengal Warriorz)

Bengal Warriorz’s chances of making the qualifiers after a four-season drought have certainly gone up after acquiring the raiding services of Devank Dalal.

Devank was adjudged ‘Best Raider of Season 11’, racking up 301 raid points in the campaign in which he was instrumental in helping Patna Pirates reach the final. He also bagged the joint-highest number of Super 10s (18) along with Dabang Delhi K. C.’s Ashu Malik.

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Nitin Kumar Dhankhar (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

While Nitin’s last season tally of 118 points wasn’t as good as his 2023 campaign’s 169, he was Bengal Warriorz’s best raider. He also did better than seasoned raider Maninder Singh, who could only manage 100 points.

Now with a new franchise, Nitin will hope to find his rhythm and help in Jaipur Pink Panthers’ charge for its third Pro Kabaddi League title.

Ayan Lochab (Patna Pirates)

The fact that Ayan bagged the ‘New Young Player of the Season’ award last year is reason enough for kabaddi lovers to keep a keen eye on the player. He was the fifth-best raider in the league with 184 points.

Patna Pirates has rightfully retained him but with Devank’s departure to the Warriorz — both had a fruitful raid partnership on the mat last season — Ayan might have more responsibility on his shoulders to deliver.

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Gagan Gowda (UP Yoddhas)

Gagan will be looking to continue his partnership with Bhavani Rajput after the two scored close to 300 raid points between themselves last season.

Being one of the brightest young raiders to watch out for, Gagan’s raid points tally in PKL has seen an upward trajectory. He amassed 146 points last season, a significant increase from his 2023 tally of 92.

Ajit Chouhan (U Mumba)

In his maiden PKL season, Ajit has announced himself with elan.

With 186 points and a fourth-placed finish amongst the best raiders last season, Ajit was U Mumba’s major source of raid points and he’ll look to carry on the momentum to the new campaign.

Published on Aug 28, 2025