Ashu Malik scored 262 raid points in the last season. The Pro Kabaddi League 12 (PKL 12) is set to thrill fans again, starting on Friday, August 29, 2025.
Before the new season begins, Dabang Delhi announced that Ashu Malik will be their captain for PKL 12. The team shared this update on social media on Wednesday, August 20.
The Haryana-born raider will become the seventh full-time captain in Dabang Delhi’s history. He is also only the third raider, after Kashling Adake and Naveen, to lead the team as captain.
Dabang Delhi Kept Ashu Malik Using Final Bid Match (FBM)
This decision was expected, as Ashu Malik was retained for two seasons for ₹1.90 crore using the final bid match option. Choosing him over former captain Naveen Kumar shows the team’s confidence in the 23-year-old.
The only other player considered for captaincy was ‘Sultan’ Fazel Atrachali. However, Joginder Narwal and the management trusted Ashu, who has been performing exceptionally well for the season eight champions over the past three years.
Ashu made his PKL debut for Delhi in Season 9
Ashu had a small but important role in helping Delhi win the title in Season 8. He was kept in the team for the next season and performed better, scoring 158 points—almost 100 more than the previous year.
Season 10 became a major turning point for him when Naveen Express got injured, and Ashu had to step up as the main raider. He handled the responsibility well, scoring 276 points with 15 Super 10s, and earned the Best Raider award.
He proved his worth in Season 11 by scoring over 250 points, again stepping up while Naveen was injured. His skill in handling challenges earned him the captaincy. At 23, he will be eager to repeat the success of his debut season.
Dabang Delhi’s predicted starting seven for PKL 12:
Raiders: Ashu Malik, Neeraj Narwal, Ajinkya Pawar.
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Sandeep Deswal, Gaurav Chillar, Amir Hossein Bastami.