The Pro Kabaddi League [PKL] player auction for Season 12 concluded on Sunday with a huge shakeup of the league's star names, as Mohammadreza Shadloui went for a Rs 2+ crore fee once again, as Gujarat Giants secured his services. The focus was on raiders as Devank Dalal (Rs 2.205 crore to Bengal Warriorz), Ashu Malik (Rs 1.90 crore retained by Dabang Delhi) and Arjun Deshwal (Rs 1.405 crore to Tamil Thalaivas) meant quality was spread across the league.
Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 auction 2025 - Full list of players bought and for what price
The focus on youth meant the Pardeep Narwal era came to an end as he went unsold, while U Mumba spent big (Rs 78 lakh) on an unheralded Category D player, Aanil Mohan. The fallout of the auction is that there are no clear favourites for the title, unlike the last couple of seasons, which bodes well for a thrilling PKL season.
ESPN takes a look at how the 12 teams fared in the PKL 12 player auctions:
Bengal Warriorz
Grade: A
Best signing: Devank Dalal. 301 raid points last season. Enough said.
Auction summary: Bengal's auction essentially began and ended with the purchase of Devank. Obviously, that hindered their ability to spend big elsewhere, but they really didn't have to. They chose to make the decision of perhaps ignoring the need for high points-scorers in other areas of the side to bring in the league's best raider. It is a strategy that comes with its cons, but the upside is humongous. Devank was the best player in PKL last season, and at the national championships, was the best player again, in Services' run to the title.
Bengal also retained Vishwas S, who will be the support raider. He had played only 12 games last season and scored 51 points in those games.
In defence, they used their FBM cards to keep hold of Nitesh Kumar and Mayur Kadam, who were very good for them last season, scoring 59 and 33 points respectively, even though the latter only played 17 games. Kadam was a consistent tackle points scorer. If Devank can continue the form of last season, then Nitesh and Kadam will have to step up to the plate too, to get them through to the playoffs.
TL;DR: They've let Maninder go after years with the franchise, but couldn't have gotten a better replacement for him. Bengal have put all their eggs in the Devank basket, and just like Patna last year, they would be hoping for a better run than their tenth-place finish.
Bengaluru Bulls
Grade: C
Best Signing: Yogesh Dahiya. For a Bulls side that struggled in all departments last season, their big signing, on whom they've spent more than a crore on was the fourth-best defender in all of the PKL last season.
Auction summary: They had to strengthen their defence, so they spent more than Rs 2 Cr. on it. Yogesh, Ankush Rathee and Sanjay Dhull are all very good players, who were in the top 15 for most tackle points last season. There is a case to be made now that on paper, the Bulls have the best defensive unit in the league.
However, there is no experience or proven pedigree in their raiding department. They retained youngsters Pankaj and Manjeet who were New Young Players last season, and much burden will be upon them, to show they can make the step up.
The Bulls will likely be a low-scoring team, as all defence-heavy teams are. They will need Yogesh, Ankush, and Sanjay to lead their charge up the table, after an awful season which saw them finish bottom, where they only won two games out of 22.
TL;DR: They could be the best defensive unit in the league. There are massive question marks over their raiding unit. Can they graft their way back up the table?
Dabang Delhi KC
Grade: A
Best signing: Ashu Malik, a Rs 1.90 Cr. purchase. Last season's second-best raider remains with Delhi, they were never going to let him go anyway.
Auction summary: After releasing Ashu Malik and Naveen Kumar, it was clear that they were going to spend big money on a raider at the auction. With the FBM card available, they made Ashu the second highest paid Indian of this auction, after Devank. It is an amount he deserved, for sure. He finished last season with 262 raid points. The next best raider for Delhi last season was Naveen, who had 165 fewer raid points. But what if Ashu has an off day? They have proven performers backing Ashu up in the raiding department, with both Neeraj Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar in their ranks for the upcoming season.
In defence, Yogesh Dahiya is a big loss for Delhi, but they have replaced him with perhaps the PKL's greatest defender ever, in Fazel Atrachali. Saurabh Nandal and Surjeet Singh add experience to that defence as well.
Ashu obviously was their best, and most important, signing. But Amir Hosein Bastami, the Iranian all-rounder could be their most important player next season for the value that he adds to either department on the mat. Along with Fazel and Ashu, he will form the core of the new Dabang Delhi K.C.
TL;DR: It was inevitable that Ashu would go back to Delhi, and they've only strengthened the defence with the addition of Fazel. On paper, they've become a better squad than last year after the auction.
Gujarat Giants
Grade: A
Best signing: Mohammadreza Shadloui. "Which team is Shadloui, that team is champion," said the Iranian after winning the last two PKL titles with different teams, and he will be aiming for three-in-a-row this time.
Auction summary: The Giants were among the worst teams last season, defying pre-season expectations and their response to a 11th placed finish has been to buy the league's most charismatic and arguably the best player. Shadloui brings with him an unrivalled defensive presence married to excellent raiding skills as well as the swag of a champion. Whether he will gel with the Giants' new coach, the experienced Jaivir Sharma will decide the fortunes of their season.
The Giants had to make do with cut-price deals elsewhere, and in Ajith Kumar, they have one of the most experienced raiders in the league. The focus will be on getting the whole host of young all-rounders and defenders the Giants purchased for base price into one cohesive unit. Shadloui's ability to raise the level of those around him will be crucial, and if he's able to do so, the Giants are looking at a playoff run.
TL;DR: The Giants may be the definition of a one-man team, but when that man is Mohammadreza Shadloui, that could be enough to carry them through into the playoffs.
Haryana Steelers
Grade: B-
Best signing: Naveen Kumar, the Express is a point-collecting machine that should aid the Steelers' low-scoring nature.
Auction summary: The inability to retain PKL's best player in Mohammadreza Shadloui could come back to haunt the defending champions, as whichever team has fielded him has won the title in the last two years. Manpreet Singh lost two of his three best defenders in Shadloui and Sanjay Dhull, but retained Rahul Sethpal as well as Jaideep, so the Steelers only really needed a left-corner and someone to score the big points alongside Shivam Patare and Vinay.
On paper, they've easily solved those problems -- point-scoring will be handled by Naveen's Rs. 1.20 Cr. purchase, while highly-rated Rahul Ahri ought to plug the gap at left-corner. Although he didn't do great at Dabang Delhi last year, he did perform well in the 2025 Yuva Kabaddi All-Stars Championship. The Steelers have mostly focused on cheap(er), young players and given Manpreet's skill at developing great defenders, they ought to be a compact outfit again this year. Whether Naveen has completely recovered from his injury-hit season last year is anyone's guess, however. If the move doesn't work out, it could be a tough season. If it does, the playoffs are pretty much a guarantee, with a title-run also possible.
TL;DR: The Steelers may be defensively weaker than last year, but have bet big on the Naveen Express' point-scoring prowess to deal with that deficit.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Grade: C
Best signing: Manjeet Dahiya. 97 raid points last season. Fairly cheap price point at Rs 40 lakhs this year, too. That is the signing which also allowed them to strengthen their raiding department with the additions of Nitin Dhankar and Uday Parte.
Auction summary: They had two standout players last season --Arjun Deshwal and Ankush Rathee. Neither of them will play for Jaipur this season. Have they replaced them adequately? Well, there is a question mark.
Reza Mirbagheri will now take over as the leader of Jaipur's defensive pack in Ankush's absence. Ashish Kumar has been bought for Rs 27 lakhs, but his track record so far in the PKL doesn't inspire the confidence that he can slot into Ankush's spot in the squad.
In the raiding department, how on earth do you replace a player who so consistently scored 200 raid points season on season? Jaipur have done their best. Nitin Dhankar is a good addition for Rs 1.0025 Cr., and Manjeet Dahiya is an excellent pick for Rs 40 lakhs.
However, where they have hedged their bets on is an unknown commodity. Uday Parte will be richer by Rs 50.1 lakhs at the end of this PKL season, and in his first year under the spotlight, the task couldn't be steeper than having to stepping in for Deshwal.
TL;DR: There's an Ankush Rathee sized hole in this squad and it hasn't been plugged as it should've been. The work is cut out for Reza and Ashish
Patna Pirates
Grade: A
Best signing: Ankit Jaglan. He's their most expensive purchase for a reason. They spent Rs 1.5725 crore on him, and he's worth every paisa of the trust they have placed in him. Last season's second-highest tackle points scorer is once again primed to lead Patna's defence this season.
Auction summary: Patna scored 277 tackle points last season. It was the third-best in the league. They needed to come out of the auction having kept that core group together, at the very least, given that they were always likely to be outspent for Devank Dalal -- their best player last season.
They lost their fearsome raider, but they have managed to keep that defensive group together. Deepak Singh will join hands with Ankit once again, and even though they have lost Shubham Shinde to the Telugu Titans, they will be happy knowing their big two defenders accounted for 143 tackle points last season.
How have they replaced Devank, if at all? Well, it's not easy to say where 301 raid points can be replaced from single-handedly across the league, not just at Patna. Perhaps, their solution will be to place more responsibility on Ayan Lohchab's shoulders. Ayan scored 184 raid points last season, the fifth-best in the league. But they have also added one of the PKL's all-time greats in Maninder Singh to their squad, for just Rs 20 lakhs. If Maninder can find some of his best form, we could be looking back on that purchase as one of the best bargain deals ever done in the PKL.
TL;DR: Devank went out of their budget, so the use of the FBM cards on Jaglan and Deepak were very sound ideas. If Ayan builds on the immense promise of last season, and Maninder's experience comes to the fore, they could be challenging for the title again.
Puneri Paltan
Grade: B
Best signing: Gurdeep. That Puneri Paltan defence was a problem for them last season, even though they had some excellent personnel in it. They have kept Gaurav Khatri and Abinesh Nadarajan, but Gurdeep is a superb addition to that squad to provide additional depth.
Auction summary: Much like last season, Puneri Paltan had a starting seven already set before the auction even began. Aslam Inamdar's injury to the meniscus in his knee derailed their season, even though Pankaj Mohite, Aditya Shinde and Mohit Goyat did contribute reasonably well to their raiding department. The missing piece was Aslam, who was their best player in the previous two seasons.
He is back now, fit and raring to go again. Their raiding department looks in pristine shape once again.
In defence, Gaurav Khatri and Abinesh Nadarajan are proven performers in the PKL. Gurdeep's addition only makes that part of their team much stronger.
Mohammed Esmaeil Nabibakhsh is a veteran of the PKL, and he returns to Pune this year, after a spell away from the team for two seasons. His experience in crunch situations could be vital as well.
TL;DR: Aslam's return from injury is a massive boost. Gurdeep's addition strengthens their defence. They look a strong, well-rounded unit.
Tamil Thalaivas
Grade: B-
Best signing: Arjun Deshwal. Rs 1.405 Cr. for a player who had the third-highest points total last season (230) -- making it the fifth-most expensive player at the auction.
Auction summary: Sanjeev Baliyan has come from title-winning stints at Patna Pirates and Jaipur Pink Panthers and has brought the best of Jaipur's raiding unit with him. Having finished ninth last season, the Thalaivas had to go big in the auction, and Deshwal represents guaranteed points. To guarantee it further, the Thalaivas also scored Pawan Sehrawat in a Rs 59.5 lakh deal, ensuring a return for the PKL stalwart who had rediscovered his form last season before an injury.
Pawan's fitness issues are sufficiently covered by the Thalaivas, having retained Moein Safaghi as an all-rounder. Nitesh Kumar, the third-highest scoring defender in the league last season was retained, and the purchase of Alireza Khalili ought to help out. However, the franchise has bet on developing a young core of defenders, and they might have needed an experienced name instead.
TL;DR: The Thalaivas are all about their raiding prowess with the purchases of Deshwal and Pawan, but may be a bit too light on defence to guarantee a playoff spot.
Telugu Titans
Grade: C
Best signing: Bharat Hooda. Barely.
Auction summary: The big news ahead of the auction was the departure of Pawan Sehrawat, with the Titans opting not to retain the PKL legend despite a stellar season last year. Fitness issues remain as Pawan's injury at a crucial point of the season saw the Titan's miss out on a playoff spot last year despite a great start to the season. Letting Pawan go makes sense, but that the Titans have ended up with Bharat Hooda and Shubham Shinde as their big-money replacements doesn't bode well. The Titans were the only team more than Rs 10 lakhs left in their auction purse, as an unspent Rs 46.88 lakhs pointed at the franchise missing out on their top targets.
Using FBMs on Vijay Malik (Rs 51.5 lakhs, #6 in points earned last season) and Ashish Narwal (a bargain at 15.7 lakhs - was #13 in points earned last season) made sense, as did retaining their defensive core in Ankit, Sagar Rawal, Ajit Pawar, thus keeping the core of a squad together that was able to beat the big teams last year on their way to a seventh-placed finish. Shubham's purchase ought to ensure that coach Krishan Kumar Hooda can fashion a watertight defence, but whether Vijay, Bharat and Ashish and Amir Hossein Ejlali (Rs 26 lakhs) can get enough raid points between them is a question.
TL;DR: The Titans have opted to spread defensive and raiding duties this season, perhaps a risk-averse reaction to losing big names like Pawan Sehrawat to injury last season. However, Bharat Hooda and Shubham Shinde may not be the answer for a side looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
U Mumba
Grade: A-
Best signing: Aanil Mohan, potentially the next PKL superstar.
Auction summary: Suhail Chandok, CEO of U Mumba, made it abundantly clear that they weren't going for the big names in the auction, and were focused on bringing in the next generation of superstars. Spending Rs 78 lakh on a D category player raised eyebrows, but for those in the know, the purchase of all-rounder Aanil Mohan could be the bargain of the auction. The youngster was pivotal in Jaipur Pink Cubs winning YASC 2025, displaying an uncanny penchant for super raids. Jaipur PP, ever aware of his talent indulged in a bidding war, but ultimately U Mumba got their man.
A fifth-placed finish last season meant that U Mumba were keen on retaining their squad, which they did, with captain Sunil Kumar and Ajit Chouhan (#4 in PKL 11 raid points) key to squad continuity. Rakesh Kumar being replaced by assistant Anil Chaprana in head coaching duties means there is already some continuity on the sidelines. U Mumba's retention focus meant they utilised FBMs for Parvesh Bhainswal and Rinku Sharma. It left them with little room to manouver for a big-name signing and thus, they augmented their raiding unit with Sandeep Kumar, who didn't have room to shine at Patna Pirates last year (for obvious reasons). The run of smart buys continued with a Rs 13 lakh purchase of Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi, another of the star raiders from YASC 2025, part of the Yuva Mumba stable itself. Despite having the smallest squad at 18 players, the outfit is quite well balanced and has the potential to surprise.
TL;DR: U Mumba came with a youth-first strategy and stuck to it, achieving their purchase goals as well in getting Aanil Mohan. They could be dark horses for the title, although a playoff run seems more realistic.
UP Yoddhas
Grade: B
Best signing: Guman Singh, a Rs 1.073 Cr. purchase with question marks surrounding him.
Auction summary: Bharat Hooda's departure is a big loss, but statistically, he was the Yoddhas' third-best raider and only managed 14 tackle points last year, bringing in 116 points as an all-rounder. The Yoddhas did their best work before the auction, retaining Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda (#10 and #11 raid points last year) as well as Hitesh and Sumit Sangwan (#5 and #8 in tackle points last year). Bringing in the experience of Dong-geon Lee for just Rs 13.5 lakhs could prove a smart buy. The UP Yoddhas excelled with their mid-level purchases last year, and having matched bids for Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi and Mahender Singh, have six of their seven starters that took them to the semifinal last year.
Where they have missed the mark in the last few seasons has been the difference-maker. Hooda's move might not have worked out, and whether they truly needed the raiding prowess of Guman Singh instead of a high-profile all-rounder is up for debate. Guman has been the main man for two teams that finished 10th (U Mumba) and 11th (Gujarat Giants) in the standings over the last two seasons. His stock has fallen, going for half the price he fetched last year, and whether Jasveer Singh needed a player who has to be catered to, instead of easily slotting into the Yoddhas' settled lineup will be decisive in how their season goes.
TL;DR: The Yoddhas retained most of their core that finished third last season, but lack a true difference-maker that could be the difference between making the playoffs and winning the title. Should Guman Singh prove to be a success, the Yoddhas will be a formidable outfit.