The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has announced the retained players for season 12. A total of 25 elite players have been retained by different franchises.
Notable names include Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat, who have been retained by Puneri Paltan, and Surender Gill, retained by UP Yoddhas. U Mumba have chosen to retain the duo of Sunil Kumar and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh.
In addition to the 25 Elite Retained Players (ERP_, 23 young players have been retained under the Retained Young Players (RYP) category, and 35 players under the Existing New Young Players (ENYP) category.
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While superstars like Pawan Sehrawat, Fazal Atracheli, and Pardeep Narwal will enter the auction again, Dabang Delhi's decision to release Naveen Kumar, who was part of the franchise for six seasons, has come as a surprise.
As we look forward to the auction set to be later this month, The Sporting News takes a look at the list of retained players for the upcoming PKL 12 season.
PKL 12: Full list of retained players for Pro Kabaddi League 2025
Bengal Warriorz (5 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Vishwas S
- Retained Young Player: -
- Existing New Young Player: Yash Malik, Manjeet, Dipak Arjun Shinde, Maharudra Garje
Bengaluru Bulls (4 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: -
- Retained Young Player: -
- Existing New Young Player: Chandranaik M, Lucky Kumar, Manjeet, Pankaj
Dabang Delhi K.C. (2 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: -
- Retained Young Player: -
- Existing New Young Player: Sandeep, Mohit
Gujarat Giants (4 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Himanshu Singh, Himanshu
- Retained Young Player: Parteek Dahiya, Rakesh
- Existing New Young Player: -
Haryana Steelers (8 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Rahul Sethpal, Vinay
- Retained Young Player: Shivam Anil Patare, Jaya Soorya NS, Jaideep, Vishal S. Tate
- Existing New Young Player: Sahil, Manikandan N, Vikas Ramadas Jadhav
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Jaipur Pink Panthers (6 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Reza Mirbagheri
- Retained Young Player: Abhishek KS
- Existing New Young Player: Ronak Singh, Nitin Kumar, Sombir, Ritik Sharma
Patna Pirates (7 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj
- Retained Young Player: Sudhakar M
- Existing New Young Player: Ayan, Navdeep, Deepak, Sahil Patil
Puneri Paltan (7 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Pankaj Mohite
- Retained Young Player: Aslam Mustafa Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Dadaso Shivaji Pujari, Aditya Tushar Shinde
- Existing New Young Player: -
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Tamil Thalaivas (9 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Moein Shafaghi, Himanshu, Sagar
- Retained Young Player: Nitesh Kumar, Narender, Ronak, Vishal Chahal, Aashish
- Existing New Young Player: Anuj Kaluram Gawade, Dhiraj Ravindra Bailmare
Telugu Titans (8 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Shankar Bhimraj Gadai, Ajit Pandurang Pawar
- Retained Young Player: Ankit, Praful Sudam Zaware
- Existing New Young Player: Sagar, Chetan Sahu, Nitin, Rohit
U Mumba (9 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Sunil Kumar, Rohit, Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh, Satish Kannan
- Retained Young Player: Mukilan Shanmugam
- Existing New Young Player: Ajit Chouhan, Deepak Kundu, Lokesh Ghosliya, Sunny
UP Yoddhas (11 players retained)
- Elite Retained Player: Sumit, Bhavani Rajput, Sahul Kumar, Surender Gill, Ashu Singh
- Retained Young Player: Gagana Gowda HR, Hitesh, Shivam Chaudhary
- Existing New Young Player: Jayesh Vikas Mahajan, Gangaram, Sachin, Keshav Kumar
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PKL 12: When will the Pro Kabaddi League 2025 auction take place?
The PKL season 12 player auction will take place from May 31 and June 1, 2025, in Mumbai. Star players like Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal, Fazel Atrachali, and Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh are set to go under the hammer and will be up for grabs.
What will the player categories and base prices be?
The players in the auction will be divided into four categories: A, B, C, and D. Each category will have subdivisions for all-rounders, defenders, and raiders. The base prices are:
Category A: INR 30 Lakh
Category B: INR 20 Lakh
Category C: INR 13 Lakh
Category D: INR 9 Lakh
PKL 12 auction: What will be the salary cap for franchises?
Each franchise has a total salary cap or purse of INR 5 crore to build their squad. Over 500 players will take part in the auction.
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PKL season 12: Where to watch the Pro Kabaddi League 2025 player auction?
The Pro Kabaddi League season 12 player auction will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar on May 31 and June 1, 2025.