Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 champions Dabang Delhi K.C. 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 and have reached the Playoffs in each of the last six PKL seasons.

PKL Season 12 will see Dabang Delhi K.C. continue with Joginder Narwal as their head coach. Under his tutelage, Dabang Delhi K.C. were one of the most dominant teams last campaign. With 13 wins in 22 games, the Delhi-based outfit finished second in the PKL Season 11 standings with 81 points, before they went down to Patna Pirates in the semi-finals.

Dabang Delhi K.C. were busy at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction as they ended the two-day event with a squad that covered most of their bases. Here’s a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of Dabang Delhi K.C. ahead of PKL Season 12.

Strengths

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

Dabang Delhi K.C. have added talented raider Neeraj Narwal for INR 32.60 lacs and acquired the services of experienced raider Ajinkya Ashok Pawar for INR 13 lacs at the auction.

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

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

Weaknesses

While Dabang Delhi K.C. have assembled a formidable squad on paper, the departure of their talismanic captain and star raider Naveen Kumar ahead of PKL Season 12 cannot be overlooked. Naveen, who was an integral member of Dabang Delhi K.C since 2018, guided 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.

Furthermore, Dabang Delhi K.C. may have to deal with the lack 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 Season 12 will be a great opportunity for players like Ajinkya Ashok Pawar, Neeraj Narwal, Anil Gurjar, Mohit, Vijay and Akshit to step up and make the most of the chances they could receive in the Dabang Delhi K.C.’s raiding unit. While accomplished raider Ashu Malik will once again lead their attack, he will need support from other talented raiders if Dabang Delhi K.C. are to clinch the PKL Season 12 title.

After an underwhelming campaign with Bengal Warriorz last season, Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali will be hoping to return to his best and guide Dabang Delhi K.C. to PKL glory.

Threats

A lot of how Dabang Delhi K.C.’s season unfolds could also depend on the form of Ashu Malk. Ashu has been one the leading raiders in the league and has accumulated 538 raid points in 46 matches in the previous two seasons.

Any injury or loss in form for Ashu could hurt Dabang Delhi K.C.’s title prospects in PKL Season 12.

As already touched on, the lack of quality all-rounders could pose a significant area of concern to the team’s fortunes in the upcoming Pro Kabaddi season.

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