The Performance of Top 10 Most Expensive Players of PKL 12
Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 created history at the auction when 10 players crossed the 1 crore mark for the first time in PKL history. The PKL 12 auction saw teams spending big money to secure their star players and build winning combinations. Now, after more than half the league stage is complete, it is time to look at how these most expensive players in PKL 12 have performed on the mat. Some players have lived up to their price tags while others have struggled with injuries or form.
Mohammadreza Shadloui – ₹2.23 Crore (Gujarat Giants)
Mohammadreza Shadloui became the most expensive player in PKL 12 when Gujarat Giants bought him for ₹2.23 crore at the auction. The Iranian defender is also the first player in PKL history to cross the ₹2 crore mark for three consecutive seasons. This shows how much teams value his defensive skills and experience.
However, Shadloui’s performance in PKL 12 started slowly. In his first eight matches, the most expensive player in PKL 12 struggled to find his rhythm. He scored only 9 tackle points from 31 tackles with a poor 29% tackle success rate. Many people started questioning whether Gujarat Giants made a mistake by spending so much money on him.
But then something changed. In his next six matches, Shadloui completely turned things around. He scored 20 tackle points from 37 tackles with an impressive 54% tackle success rate. This means his tackle success rate almost doubled in the second half of the season. He also recorded 2 High-5s during this period.
In PKL 12, Shadloui has played 15 matches and scored a total of 60 points. His tackle success rate for the season stands at 45%. He has shown that he can play as both a defender and an all-rounder, sometimes even taking raids when needed.
The most expensive player in PKL 12 has helped Gujarat Giants win three of their last four matches and keep their playoff hopes alive. Shadloui’s second-half performances prove why teams are willing to pay big money for him season after season.
Devank Dalal – ₹2.205 Crore (Bengal Warriorz)
Devank Dalal became the second most expensive player in PKL 12 when Bengal Warriorz bought him for ₹2.205 crore. And he has completely lived up to his price tag. In fact, many experts believe Devank is the best performer among all the most expensive players in PKL 12.
Devank Dalal is currently the top raider in PKL 12 with 237 raid points in just 14 matches. His average of 16.93 raid points per match is the highest in the league this season. He also has an excellent 73% raid success rate, which shows his consistency.
The most impressive thing about Devank in PKL 12 is that he has scored 14 consecutive Super 10s. This means he has scored more than 10 raid points in all matches where he played the full game. No other raider has been this consistent in PKL 12.
Devank also created history during PKL 12. On October 9, 2025, he became the fastest player to reach 500 raid points in PKL history, achieving this milestone in just 43 matches. He broke the previous record held by Naveen Kumar. In the same match, Devank also became the fastest player to score 200 raid points in a single PKL season.
For the most expensive players in PKL 12, Devank Dalal is clearly giving the best value for money. He is scoring 238 total points which includes 237 raid points and 1 tackle point. Despite his brilliant performances, Bengal Warriorz are currently in 11th position because other players have not supported him enough. Devank is fighting alone for his team in most matches.
Ashu Malik – ₹1.90 Crore (Dabang Delhi K.C.)
Ashu Malik was bought back by Dabang Delhi using the new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule for ₹1.90 crore. This made him the third most expensive player in PKL 12. Delhi retained him for two seasons because they believe he is their future captain and leader.
Ashu has performed very well in PKL 12 despite missing some matches due to injury recently. In 12 matches, he has scored 148 total points which includes 146 raid points and 2 tackle points. His average of 12.16 raid points per match ranks him third-best in the league.
Ashu Malik has scored 7 Super 10s in PKL 12. His raid success rate of 62% is very good for a lead raider who attempts many difficult raids. He scored his career-best performance of 23 raid points against U Mumba in match 50, helping Delhi win 47-26.
Because of Ashu’s performances, Dabang Delhi are currently in second position with 12 wins from 15 matches. He has led the team well as captain. However, he has been out with an injury for the last few matches. Delhi fans are hoping he will return to full fitness soon for the playoff matches.
Ankit Jaglan – ₹1.573 Crore (Patna Pirates)
Ankit Jaglan was retained by Patna Pirates using the FBM rule for ₹1.573 crore, making him the fourth most expensive player in PKL 12. However, Jaglan’s role in the team is different from other expensive players. He is an all-rounder who mainly focuses on defense.
In PKL 12, Ankit Jaglan has played 12 matches and scored 30 total points. His tackle success rate stands at 45%. As a defensive all-rounder, Jaglan is not expected to score big raid points like other expensive raiders. His job is to provide solid defense and occasionally chip in with raid points.
Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Jaglan has had the least impact so far. Patna Pirates are currently in 12th position with only 3 wins from 13 matches. The team has struggled throughout the season. Their defense has been weak, scoring only 109 total tackle points in 13 matches.
Arjun Deshwal – ₹1.405 Crore (Tamil Thalaivas)
Arjun Deshwal was bought by Tamil Thalaivas for ₹1.405 crore in the PKL 12 auction. He is the fifth most expensive player in PKL 12 and has shown excellent form this season. Arjun is currently the second-highest raid points scorer with 178 raid points in 16 matches.
His average of 11.13 raid points per match is very impressive. Arjun has been consistent throughout PKL 12 and has scored multiple Super 10s. In fact, he scored his 71st career Super 10 during this season, which moved him to third place in the all-time list of most Super 10s in PKL history.
The highlight of Arjun’s season came in match 69 against Patna Pirates when he scored his career-best 26 raid points. This was the best performance by any raider in a single match in PKL 12. Tamil Thalaivas won that match 56-37, which was also the highest score by any team in a single match this season.
Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Arjun Deshwal is clearly giving good value for money. He is also close to breaking into the top 3 all-time raid points scorers in PKL history. Currently, he is tied with Pawan Sehrawat at 1,340 career raid points.
However, Tamil Thalaivas are struggling as a team. They are currently in 9th position with only 5 wins from 16 matches. Despite Arjun’s brilliant raiding, the team’s weak defense has cost them many matches. His individual performances have been excellent but the team results have been disappointing.
Yogesh Dahiya – ₹1.125 Crore (Bengaluru Bulls)
Yogesh Dahiya became the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history when Bengaluru Bulls bought him for ₹1.125 crore. Yogesh was the Emerging Player of the Season in PKL 10 when he scored 74 tackle points for Dabang Delhi.
In PKL 12, Yogesh has played 14 matches and scored 40 tackle points. His tackle success rate is 50%, which is solid for a defender. Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Yogesh is doing a decent job in defense but not exceptional.
The problem for Yogesh is that Bengaluru Bulls are currently in 4th position with 8 wins from 14 matches. The team’s defense has been good overall, averaging 11.4 tackle points per match. However, Yogesh is not the leading defender on his team. Other defenders like Deepak Sankar have scored more tackle points than him.
Naveen Kumar – ₹1.20 Crore (Haryana Steelers)
Naveen Kumar was bought by Haryana Steelers for ₹1.20 crore in the PKL 12 auction. However, his season has been completely destroyed by injury. Naveen has played only 4 matches in PKL 12 before getting injured.
In those 4 matches, Naveen scored just 18 raid points with a 43% raid success rate. These are very poor numbers for a player of his quality. Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Naveen has had the most disappointing season through no fault of his own.
Haryana Steelers are the defending champions of PKL 11, but they are struggling badly without Naveen. They are currently in 6th position with 7 wins and 7 losses. After Naveen’s injury, other raiders like Vinay and Shivam Patare have tried to fill the gap. However, they cannot match Naveen’s quality and experience.
Guman Singh – ₹1.073 Crore (UP Yoddhas)
Guman Singh was bought by UP Yoddhas for ₹1.073 crore, making him the eighth most expensive player in PKL 12. Guman has had a mixed season with some good performances but overall average results.
In PKL 12, Guman has played 13 matches and scored 74 raid points. His average of 5.69 raid points per match is below what teams expect from a crore-plus raider. His raid success rate is 53%, which is decent but not great.
However, Guman showed improvement in the second half of the season. In his last five matches, he scored 46 raid points at 62% success rate with 2 Super 10s. His best performance came against U Mumba when he led UP Yoddhas to a 40-24 win.
UP Yoddhas are currently in 8th position with 6 wins from 15 matches. They are in the play-ins zone but fighting to stay in playoff contention. Guman needs to maintain his recent good form if UP Yoddhas want to qualify for playoffs.
Nitin Kumar Dhankhar – ₹1.002 Crore (Jaipur Pink Panthers)
Nitin Kumar Dhankhar was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for ₹1.002 crore in the PKL 12 auction. He has performed well when fit but has struggled with injuries recently.
In 11 matches, Nitin has scored 109 raid points with an impressive average of 9.9 raid points per match. His raid success rate of 57% is very good. He also scored 7 Super 10s in his first 10 matches, which shows excellent consistency.
However, Nitin missed some matches due to injury. When he returned against Bengaluru Bulls, he was clearly not fit and scored zero raid points from six raids. This injury has hurt both Nitin and Jaipur Pink Panthers badly.
Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Nitin was performing very well before his injury. Jaipur Pink Panthers are currently in 10th position with only 4 wins from 13 matches. Without their main raider at full fitness, the team has struggled. They are currently outside the playoff zone and fighting to stay in contention.
Sachin Tanwar – ₹1.00 Crore (Puneri Paltan)
Sachin Tanwar was bought by Puneri Paltan for exactly ₹1.00 crore, making him the 10th crorepati in PKL 12. However, among all the most expensive players in PKL 12, Sachin has performed the worst.
In PKL 12, Sachin has played only 8 matches and scored just 11 raid points. His average of 1.37 raid points per match is very poor for a crore-plus player. His raid success rate of 37% shows he has struggled badly whenever he has played.
The main problem is that Puneri Paltan are doing so well that they don’t need Sachin. The team is in first position with 13 wins from 16 matches. Their main raiders like Pankaj Mohite, Mohit Goyat, and Aditya Shinde are performing so well that Sachin is getting very limited game time.
For ₹1.00 crore, Puneri Paltan expected Sachin to be an important part of their raiding unit. Instead, he has been a bench player for most of the season. Among the most expensive players in PKL 12, Sachin Tanwar is clearly not giving value for money to his team.
Overall, spending big money on players can work well if the player stays fit and performs consistently. However, injuries and loss of form can make expensive signings look like bad decisions. The performance of most expensive players in PKL 12 shows that auction price does not always guarantee success on the mat.
