Dabang Delhi’s Season 12 Title Run: Second in the Table, First at the End

Last Updated: 20 October 2026

The dabang delhi season 12 campaign is the story of a team that lost the league stage and won everything that mattered after it. Dabang Delhi K.C. finished second in the points table, behind Puneri Paltan on score difference alone. Then Delhi beat Pune in a tied qualifier settled by a five-raid shootout, beat them again in the final, and lifted the Season 12 trophy in their home city. Second in the table. First at the end.

This post breaks the title run into its three parts — the league stage Delhi did not top, the qualifier that could not separate the top two teams, and the final that did. It also places the win in the club’s history, because Season 12 was Delhi’s second championship, and it closes with the player who took the league’s biggest individual award.

Dabang Delhi Season 12 — Key Facts

• League finish: 2nd — 13 wins, 5 losses, 26 points, score difference +38
• Why second: Puneri Paltan also scored 26 points, with a better difference of +88
• Qualifier 1: Drew 34–34 with Puneri Paltan, won the five-raid shootout 6–4
• Final: Beat Puneri Paltan 31–28, 31 October 2025, Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi
• Season MVP: Fazel Atrachali, Dabang Delhi K.C.
• Title number: Delhi’s second championship, after Season 8

Second in the Table — and Why It Happened

Delhi’s league stage was strong by every measure except one. Thirteen wins from 18 matches matched the best record in the league, and 26 points matched the highest total. The single number that placed Delhi second was score difference. Pune’s +88 beat Delhi’s +38, so the table ranked Pune first and Delhi second, even though the two teams had identical win-loss records.

Under the Season 12 system — 2 points for a win, 0 for a loss — score difference breaks ties and nothing else. Delhi’s campaign shows both sides of that rule. Their wins were worth exactly as much as Pune’s wins. Their margins were worth less in the one column that orders tied teams. The full standings, and the ties at 20 and 12 points below the top pair, are set out on the PKL Points Table page.

Second place still carried real value. It put Delhi straight into Qualifier 1, the shortest route to the final, against the only team that had finished above them. The league stage had asked one question — who is first on a tiebreaker? The playoffs asked a different one, and Delhi answered it twice.

Qualifier 1: 34–34, Then Five Raids Each

Qualifier 1 matched Delhi against Pune, and after full time the two teams the table could barely separate were level again, 34–34. The match went to a five-raid shootout. Delhi won it 6–4.

Shootouts reward nerve more than form. A whole season of margins, systems, and table maths narrows to five raids per side, and one loose raid can end a campaign. Delhi took the direct place in the final and sent the table toppers down the longer route. It was the second time in the season that Pune had finished ahead of Delhi on paper — first place against second, then a drawn qualifier — and the first time it had cost them something real.

The Final: Champions in Their Home City

The final brought the same two teams back to the mat on 31 October 2025, at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi. This time the match produced a winner in open play. Dabang Delhi K.C. beat Puneri Paltan 31–28 and closed the season as champions in front of a home-city crowd.

Three points is a thin margin for a final, and it fits the season. Across the league stage, the qualifier, and the final, Delhi and Pune were the two best teams in the league and almost nothing separated them. Delhi’s edge showed up where it counts most — in the last two matches of the year, both won against the same opponent. The club’s full record, honours, and Season 13 position are on the Dabang Delhi K.C. team page.

Fazel Atrachali: the MVP of the Title Run

The season’s Most Valuable Player award went to a Dabang Delhi K.C. player. Fazel Atrachali was named MVP of Season 12, the league’s biggest individual honour landing with the champions. It completed a clean sweep of the storylines that mattered: Delhi took the trophy, and Delhi’s standout player took the award that recognises the season’s most valuable performer.

The other two headline awards went to Patna Pirates — Ayan Lohchab as Best Raider and Navdeep as Best Defender — which leaves Delhi’s MVP as the individual award held by a finalist. Title runs are team stories, but they usually have a face. For Season 12, Delhi’s face was the MVP.

A Second Title for Dabang Delhi

Season 12 was not Delhi’s first championship. The club won its first title in Season 8, beating Patna Pirates 37–36 in one of the closest finals the league has staged. Season 12 added a second title, won the hard way — through a shootout and a three-point final, both against the team that had topped the table.

Two titles put Delhi in a small group. Only Patna Pirates, with three, own more, and Delhi now sit level with Jaipur Pink Panthers on two championships each. The complete list of champions from Season 1 to Season 12 is on the PKL Winners List. For the official record of the final, see the official Pro Kabaddi League site.

What Comes Next: Defending the Title in Season 13

Delhi return for Season 13 as defending champions, and every other club will measure itself against them. Their Season 13 squad, fixtures, and venues are To Be Announced. The auction window is reported for 18–25 October 2026, the start is reported for late December 2026, and the final is reported for February 2027. The reported title defence timeline is tracked on the PKL Schedule homepage.

Dabang Delhi Season 12 — Frequently Asked Questions