Ashu Malik to Lead Dabang Delhi in PKL 12

Dabang Delhi have retained Ashu Malik as captain for Pro Kabaddi League 2025. The 23-year-old raider, signed for Rs 1.90 crore via FBM, scored 262 raid points last season. With Naveen Kumar injured, Malik has been Delhi’s key performer since Season 10, earning the Best Raider award with 276 points. PKL 12 begins August 29.

For the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League Season 12, Dabang Delhi have confirmed Ashu Malik as their captain for the 2025 edition, beginning on August 29. The 23-year-old raider, who hails from Haryana, has been one of Delhi’s standout performers over the last three years and will now become the seventh full-time skipper of the franchise. He is also the third raider after Kashiling Adake and Naveen Kumar to lead the team.

Delhi showed their faith in Ashu by retaining him for Rs 1.90 crore through the final bid match option, ahead of Naveen, who had earlier captained the side. Fazel Atrachali was the only other candidate for the captaincy, but the management chose Ashu due to his consistency and ability to step up in pressure situations. Ashu made his PKL debut in Season 9, after playing a supporting role in Delhi’s Season 8 title win.

He rose to prominence in Season 10, when Naveen’s injury pushed him into the lead raider’s role, and he responded with 276 points and the Best Raider award. In Season 11, he backed it up with another 250-plus points. Delhi’s predicted starting seven for PKL 12 includes Ashu, Neeraj Narwal, Ajinkya Pawar, Fazel Atrachali, Sandeep Deswal, Gaurav Chillar, and Amir Hossein Bastami.