PKL Season 12 Review: 117 Matches, a Shootout & a New Champion
Last Updated: 20 October 2026
This pkl season 12 review covers a season that refused to follow the table. Season 12 ran from 29 August to 31 October 2025, packed 117 matches into four city legs, and ended with the second-placed team lifting the trophy. Puneri Paltan topped the league standings. Dabang Delhi K.C. won the title. Between those two facts sits a tied qualifier, a five-raid shootout, and the tightest finish the league could have scripted.
Season 12 also changed how the league keeps score. A new points system replaced the old margin-based table, and it shaped everything — the playoff cut, the ties at 20 and 12 points, and a third-place finish built on the best score difference in the league. This review goes through the season in order: the legs, the table, the playoffs, the final, and the awards.
PKL Season 12 Review — Key Facts
- Dates: 29 August to 31 October 2025
- Matches: 117 — 108 league matches and 9 postseason matches
- Legs: Vizag, Jaipur, Chennai, Delhi
- Champions: Dabang Delhi K.C. — beat Puneri Paltan 31–28 in the final
- Table toppers: Puneri Paltan, 26 points, score difference +88
- Points system: Win = 2 points, Loss = 0 points
- MVP: Fazel Atrachali (Dabang Delhi K.C.)
- Best Raider: Ayan Lohchab (Patna Pirates), 316 raid points
- Best Defender: Navdeep (Patna Pirates), 73 tackle points
Four Legs, One Caravan
Season 12 opened in Vizag on 29 August 2025, where Telugu Titans played Tamil Thalaivas in the first match of the season. From there the caravan moved to Jaipur, then Chennai, and closed in Delhi. Every team played 18 league matches across the four legs, which produced the 108-match league stage.
The format leaves no hiding place. There are no home stands to protect a weak run and no soft stretches in the calendar. A team in poor form carries that form into the next city, and the table records all of it. By the time the caravan reached Delhi for the final leg and the playoffs, the standings had sorted the league into a top pair, a knot of teams on 20 points, and a cut line that stayed live into the last round of matches.
A New Points System, a Table Full of Ties
Season 12 replaced the old points system — 5 points for a narrow win, 3 for a draw, 1 for a narrow loss — with a plain rule: win and take 2 points, lose and take 0. The change made the table harsher and easier to read. It also made score difference matter more, because tied teams now split on that column alone. The full standings are on the PKL Points Table page.
| Pos | Team | W | L | Score Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puneri Paltan | 13 | 5 | +88 | 26 |
| 2 | Dabang Delhi K.C. | 13 | 5 | +38 | 26 |
| 3 | Bengaluru Bulls | 11 | 7 | +97 | 22 |
| 4 | Telugu Titans | 10 | 8 | +45 | 20 |
| 5 | Haryana Steelers | 10 | 8 | +40 | 20 |
| 6 | U Mumba | 10 | 8 | +8 | 20 |
| 7 | Patna Pirates | 8 | 10 | +10 | 16 |
| 8 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 8 | 10 | −48 | 16 |
| 9 | U.P. Yoddhas | 7 | 11 | −65 | 14 |
| 10 | Tamil Thalaivas | 6 | 12 | −36 | 12 |
| 11 | Gujarat Giants | 6 | 12 | −73 | 12 |
| 12 | Bengal Warriorz | 6 | 12 | −104 | 12 |
Read the table top to bottom and the season’s oddities jump out. Puneri Paltan and Dabang Delhi K.C. finished level on 26 points, and Pune took first place only on score difference, +88 to +38. Bengaluru Bulls posted the best difference in the league, +97, and still finished third, because difference breaks ties — it does not outrank points. Three teams shared 20 points and three more shared 12, with the difference column setting the order in both groups.
The Playoffs: a Tied Qualifier and a Shootout
The top eight teams reached the playoffs, and the nine-match postseason produced the season’s defining night before the final itself. Qualifier 1 matched the top two teams in the table, Puneri Paltan and Dabang Delhi K.C., and it finished 34–34. A five-raid shootout settled it. Delhi won the shootout 6–4 and took the direct route to the final.
That one match captures Season 12. The league stage had separated the top two teams only by a tiebreaker column. The qualifier could not separate them at all in open play. Everything came down to five raids each, and Delhi held its nerve better. Pune, the table toppers, were left to take the longer road to the same final.
The Final: Delhi 31, Pune 28
The final was played on 31 October 2025 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi, and the same two teams met again. This time there was no tie and no shootout. Dabang Delhi K.C. beat Puneri Paltan 31–28 to win the Season 12 title in front of a home-city crowd.
Three points covered the two best teams in the league after 117 matches. Pune won the league stage and lost the season. Delhi finished second in the table and first at the end, a reminder that in this format the table seeds the playoffs — it does not award the trophy. The result also added Delhi’s name to the champions list for a second time, after their Season 8 title. Every champion from Season 1 to Season 12 is recorded on the PKL Winners List, and Delhi’s own campaign is broken down on the Dabang Delhi K.C. team page.
The Award Winners
The individual honours split between the champions and the league’s most decorated club. Fazel Atrachali of Dabang Delhi K.C. was named Most Valuable Player, the champions’ leader taking the season’s biggest individual award. The other two awards both went to Patna Pirates, who finished seventh. Ayan Lohchab was Best Raider with 316 raid points in 22 games, and Navdeep was Best Defender with 73 tackle points in 21 games. One club held the league’s best raider and best defender at the same time — and still finished seventh. The Patna Pirates team page carries that story in full.
What Season 12 Sets Up for Season 13
Season 13 starts from a clean table and an open race. Delhi defend the title, Pune carry the grievance of a lost final, and Patna carry award-winning talent that outperformed its team’s finish. Nothing about Season 13 is confirmed yet: fixtures, venues, squads, and the broadcaster are all 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. For the official record of the season reviewed here, see the official Pro Kabaddi League site.
PKL Season 12 Review — Frequently Asked Questions
When was PKL Season 12 played?
PKL Season 12 ran from 29 August to 31 October 2025. The season used a four-leg caravan format, visiting Vizag, Jaipur, Chennai, and Delhi in that order. The league stage and playoffs were all played inside those four legs, and the final closed the season in Delhi on 31 October 2025.
Who won PKL Season 12?
Dabang Delhi K.C. won PKL Season 12. Delhi beat Puneri Paltan 31–28 in the final at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on 31 October 2025. Delhi had finished second in the league table, behind Pune on score difference, before beating the same opponents in Qualifier 1 and again in the final.
How many matches were played in PKL Season 12?
PKL Season 12 had 117 matches in total. Each of the twelve teams played 18 league matches, which produced a 108-match league stage. The top eight teams then contested a nine-match postseason, ending with the final in Delhi. The 117-match count covers the full season from the Vizag opener to the final.
What points system did PKL Season 12 use?
PKL Season 12 used a simple points system: a win earned 2 points and a loss earned 0 points. That replaced the old margin-based system of 5 points for a narrow win, 3 for a draw, and 1 for a narrow loss. Under the new system, teams level on points are separated by score difference.
Who topped the PKL Season 12 points table?
Puneri Paltan topped the PKL Season 12 points table with 26 points and a score difference of +88. Dabang Delhi K.C. also finished on 26 points but placed second, because their score difference of +38 was lower. Bengaluru Bulls finished third with 22 points despite recording the best score difference in the league, +97.
