Devank Dalal vows to carry Bengal Warriors’ legacy in PKL Season 12

Bengal Warriors captain Devank Dalal, the costliest raider of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12, said he is motivated to match Maninder Singh’s legacy. The former Patna Pirates star credited his 25-point game last season for transforming his career.

Hyderabad: Bengal Warriors star raider and captain Devank Dalal, who is the most expensive raider in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 starting from August 29, said that in the last season he finished as the best raider and thought the bid could this far but didn’t believe it would actually go this high.

“I was very happy when it did—it feels great to be valued this way,” Devank said in a chat during JioHotstar’s ‘Kings of Kabaddi’ programme.

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“This year, I have more responsibilities. Now that I’ve joined this team, I will give 110% for Bengal Warriorz,” he said.

“In Season 9, I joined NYP in Jaipur. At that time, I just wanted to play and prove myself. But there were many senior players, and I didn’t get much of a chance. So, I just kept practicing and working hard. Over time, my game improved a lot, and I started believing that I could achieve something. Last year, when Patna Pirates gave me an opportunity, I grabbed it and proved myself,” Devank said.

On his breakthrough performance against Tamil Thalaivas in last season, Devank said that that match (last season) against Tamil Thalaivas was very important for him as he scored 25 raid points.

“It gave me motivation and belief. After that, I found my rhythm. I started aiming to score Super 10s in every game, and it kept happening. The team kept rising, and my name started growing as well. From Jaipur to Patna, and now from Patna to Bengal—it has been an incredible journey. Sometimes I still can’t believe it, but I did it, and it feels really good,” he said.

On stepping into Maninder Singh’s shoes, Warriorz star raider said that he had full faith in his abilities. “I will give everything to match what Maninder has done for this team and carry forward his legacy. My aim is to make the team believe in me,” he said.

On adding new skills and playing with aggression, Devank said he had worked on many new skills. “ Last season, my bonus was strong, but now I’ve added more—like toe touch and hand touch. Playing against Shadloui is exciting; he’s an aggressive defender, and I bring the same aggression in my raids,” he said.

“On the ground, that attitude matters. People notice the way I look, the way I play, the aggression I bring. But off the mat, I’m soft-spoken like everyone else. Aggression is very important in Kabaddi—you can’t play without it,” Devank said.

On handling pressure to deliver the winning title for Bengal Warriorz, Devank said that there would be no pressure on him. “My focus is only on improving on last year’s performance. My job is to play and give my best. If I do that, results will follow,” he said.

For his part, head coach Naveen Kumar said that they needed a star raider like Devank who can lead from the front.

“Devank was the best player in the last season of PKL, and that’s why he has such a big value. He deserves it. He has so much capacity—he can score raid points at will and even win games single-handedly. Devank has immense potential, and I’m confident he will prove it this season,” Naveen said.