PKL Season 12: Dabang Delhi K.C. Crowned Champions for the Second Time After Defeating Puneri Paltan by 3 Points
Ranvir Singh
New Delhi : Dabang Delhi K.C. clinched their second Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title after defeating Puneri Paltan 31–28 in the Season 12 final played at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Friday. With this win, Delhi became the third team after Patna Pirates and Jaipur Pink Panthers to win the championship more than once. Moreover, Joginder Narwal became only the second person after Manpreet Singh to win the title both as a coach and captain.
For Delhi, Neeraj Narwal (9 points) and Ajinkya Pawar (6 points) played crucial roles in securing the victory. While Ashu (2 points) had an off day, Delhi’s defense performed strongly, contributing 10 points. Though Fazel Atrachali was quiet for most of the match, his late tackle on Aditya Shinde (10 points) in the final minute sealed the victory for Delhi.
At the start, Ashu was tackled in his very first raid and couldn’t open his account in the first 10 minutes. However, thanks to Neeraj Narwal, Delhi inflicted the first all-out to take the lead. Puneri Paltan made a comeback with two successful super tackles, relying on their defense to stay in the game as their raiders struggled. By the end of the first quarter, Delhi led 8–6, with Puneri’s next super tackle opportunity approaching.
After the break, Saurav tackled Aslam on a do-or-die raid, reducing Puneri to just two players, but they struck back with a third super tackle, narrowing the score to 8–9. Ajinkya then produced a double-point raid to inflict an all-out, giving Delhi a 14–8 lead. Soon after, Pankaj outwitted Surjeet, and Neeraj’s super raid stretched the lead to seven points.
Just before halftime, Aditya earned a multi-point raid, cutting the deficit to four, but Ajinkya responded in kind to restore Delhi’s lead at 20–14. After the break, Ashu was tackled for the third time, and Puneri again forced a super tackle, reducing the gap to four. However, when Aditya stepped out of bounds without a touch, Delhi took two easy points to lead 24–18 by the 30-minute mark.
Soon after, Delhi faced another super tackle situation, and Ashu finally opened his account with a bonus point. But Pankaj was tackled on a do-or-die raid, and Delhi extended their lead to eight points. Aditya, however, led a late charge — his running hand touch reduced Delhi to two players, followed by an all-out that brought the score to 25–28.
Aditya then tackled Saurav to make it a two-point game, but Neeraj’s bonus point took Delhi ahead by three. Aditya’s multi-point raid narrowed the margin again to 28–29, but when he went in for the next raid, Fazel Atrachali tackled him, confirming Delhi’s win. Finally, Ashu added one more point in the last raid to secure a 31–28 victory and Delhi’s second PKL title.
Interestingly, this was the fourth encounter between the two teams this season — and the first to produce a clear result, as their previous three matches had ended in ties.
