Devank Dalal

Devank Dalal is an Indian raider from Singhpura Khurd village in Rohtak, Haryana, who has become one of the most productive attackers in the Pro Kabaddi League. Fans know him as the top raider of PKL Season 11 with Patna Pirates, the captain of Bengal Warriorz in Season 12 and a member of the Indian team that won gold at the 2026 Asian Games. He serves in the Indian Army.

Early years

Dalal says he first came to kabaddi by watching it, and was inspired by Pardeep Narwal. He tried football and cricket before settling on kabaddi after tenth grade. Joining the army proved the turning point. “When I joined the army, I realised that yes, I could play,” he said. His father, Anand, is a farmer and his mother, Sushma, is a homemaker. His younger brother, Yuvraj, has played kabaddi in state-level tournaments.

PKL career

Dalal made his PKL debut with Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9 in 2022, playing five matches. He made one appearance for them in Season 10 before moving to Patna Pirates.

Season 11 was his breakthrough. In 25 matches he scored 301 raid points with 18 Super 10s, finishing as the league’s top raider and helping Patna reach the final, where they lost 32-23 to Haryana Steelers. He credited his raiding partnership with Ayan Lohchab, saying, “In our team, there’s nothing like main raider. All the attackers raid equally.”

Season 12

Dalal captained Bengal Warriorz in Season 12 in 2025. He scored 272 points in 16 matches, 271 of them from raids, with 15 Super 10s and a raid strike rate of 74%. That made him the second-highest scoring raider of the season.

Across four PKL seasons he has 578 points from 47 matches, including 33 Super 10s.

Domestic and international career

Dalal led Services to the title at the 71st Senior National Men’s Kabaddi Championship in Cuttack, where the final against Railways ended 30-30 before Services won the tie-breaker 6-4. He was named Best Player of the championship. He was also the highest-bid player in the Kabaddi Champions League.

The 2026 Asian Games in Japan was his first international tournament. India beat Iran 40-34 in the final to take gold, with Dalal playing a key role as a raider. Before the Games he said, “Pressure and responsibility are two different things. Here, there is only responsibility, not pressure.” His village planned a procession and a bhandara to welcome him home.

Style of play

Dalal puts his success down to constant movement on the mat. “Wherever I raid, whether it’s in six, four, or five, movement and stopping make a difference,” he explained. “If I stop my movement, I get caught quickly.”

Statistics and team history: Pro Kabaddi League.