PKL 2025: Check full list of players retained by all teams before auction
U Mumba retained Sunil Kumar and Iranian sensation Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, while Haryana Steelers held on to defensive stalwart Jaideep Dahiya
 "PKL 2025: Check full list of players retained by all teams before auction")
The excitement is building for the upcoming Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)—that is, PKL 2025—as the league officially announced the list of 'Elite Retained Players', 'Retained Young Players', and 'New Young Players' on Saturday. With the Season 12 auction scheduled to take place on May 31 and June 1 in Mumbai, all 12 franchises are gearing up to revamp their squads in pursuit of PKL glory. While most teams have secured the services of their top performers, fans can expect fierce bidding wars with over 500 players—domestic and international—set to go under the hammer. This includes some of the league’s most prominent stars and exciting new prospects, making it one of the most anticipated PKL auctions to date.
Top players retained ahead of PKL 12
Ahead of the mega auction, several franchises have ensured continuity by retaining key players. U Mumba retained Sunil Kumar and Iranian sensation Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, while Haryana Steelers held on to defensive stalwart Jaideep Dahiya. UP Yoddhas retained star raider Surender Gill, and Puneri Paltan secured their dynamic duo of Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat. A total of 83 players have been retained across three categories: 25 in the Elite Retained Players (ERP) category, 23 in the Retained Young Players (RYP) category, and 35 in the New Young Players (NYP) category.
Full list of retained players for PKL 2025:
| Team | Elite Retained Players | Retained Young Players | Existing New Young Players |
| Bengal Warriors | Vishwas S | - | Yash Malik, Manjeet, Deep Kumar, Sushil Kambrekar |
| Bengaluru Bulls | - | - | Chandranaik M, Lucky Kumar, Manjeet, Pankaj |
| Dabang Delhi K.C. | - | - | Sandeep, Mohit |
| Gujarat Giants | Himanshu Singh, Himanshu | Parteek Dahiya, Rakesh | - |
| Haryana Steelers | Rahul Sethpal, Vinay | Shivam Anil Patare, Jaideep, Jaya Soorya NS, Vishal S. Tate | Sahil, Manikandan N, Vikas Ramadas Jadhav |
| Jaipur Pink Panthers | Reza Mirbagheri | Abhishek KS | Ronak Singh, Nitin Kumar, Sombir, Ritik Sharma |
| Patna Pirates | Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj | Sudhakar M | Ayan, Navdeep, Deepak, Sahil Patil |
| Puneri Paltan | Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Pankaj Mohite | Aslam Mustafa Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Dadaso Shivaji Pujari, Aditya Tushar Shinde | |
| Tamil Thalaivas | Moein Shafaghi, Himanshu, Sagar | Nitesh Kumar, Narender, Ronak, Vishal Chahal, Aashish | Anuj Kaluram Gawade, Dhiraj Ravindra Bailmare |
| Telugu Titans | Shankar Bhimraj Gadai, Ajit Pandurang Pawar | Ankit, Praful Sudam Zaware | Sagar, Chetan Sahu, Nitin, Rohit |
| U Mumba | Sunil Kumar, Rohit, Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh, Satish Kannan | Mukilan Shanmugam | Ajit Chouhan, Deepak Kundu, Lokesh Ghosliya, Sunny |
| UP Yoddhas | Sumit, Bhavani Rajput, Sahul Kumar, Surender Gill, Ashu Singh | Hitesh, Gagana Gowda HR, Shivam Chaudhary | Jayesh Vikas Mahajan, Gangaram, Sachin, Keshav Kumar |
Big names set to enter the PKL 12 auction
Despite the retention of several top performers, the PKL 12 auction pool remains stacked with talent. Notable Indian players like Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal, Ashu Malik, and Devank Dalal—PKL 11's top raider—will be among the headline names to watch. Among overseas stars, Iranian defenders Fazel Atrachali and Mohammadreza Shadloui are expected to draw significant interest, alongside veteran Indian raiders Maninder Singh and Pardeep Narwal.
Naveen Kumar: A historic first at the auction
One of the most intriguing storylines ahead of PKL 12 is the auction entry of Naveen Kumar. The Dabang Delhi K.C. star, who won the league in Season 8, will go under the hammer for the first time in his career. Naveen holds the distinction of being the first player in PKL history to score over 1,000 raid points for a single team before entering the auction. With 1,102 raid points across six seasons, his availability is likely to trigger intense bidding among franchises.
Auction format and salary structure
For PKL 12, both domestic and international players will be classified into four categories—A, B, C, and D—with further divisions based on roles: raiders, defenders, and all-rounders. The base prices for each category are:
- Category A: ₹30 lakh
- Category B: ₹20 lakh
- Category C: ₹13 lakh
- Category D: ₹9 lakh
Each team will have a total salary purse of ₹5 crore to build their squad.