New Delhi: After years of toil and tribulation on the domestic circuit, star Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar has earned a place in the IPL. The 29-year-old was picked up by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.40 crore at the 2026 mini auction held on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
Nabi entered the auction with a base price of Rs 30 lakh. The first bid was placed by the Delhi Capitals, and then by the Rajasthan Royals. The two franchises engaged in an intense-bidding war for him.
“I am very excited and happy for him. He deserves it. His performance for the state has been phenomenal. I was hoping for an India A call-up, but the IPL is equally good. It’s a big platform,” Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) Srinagar Incharge Majid Dhar told ThePrint.
Majid, a former Ranji player himself, is an ardent admirer of Nabi’s game and is elated at his growth. He said that the moment the news about Nabi’s IPL break travelled to them, everyone in the J&K state association was jumping with joy. They have planned celebrations at the office on Tuesday.
“It’s a big success for all of us. This shows how far J&K cricket has come. It will also draw attention to more talent that is here,” he added.
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The ‘Dale Steyn of Baramulla’
Nabi’s peers describe him as “disciplined” and “focused,” while J&K skipper Paras Dogra considers him one of the “best pacers” he has ever come across. Local media have given him titles like “Thunderbolt,” and some even refer to him as the “Dale Steyn of Baramulla”.
Nabi grew up in a family that wanted him to become a doctor. He, too, dreams of wearing the white uniform, but India’s Test Whites.
He has bagged 125 wickets in first-class cricket so far, with an average of 19.98 and an economy of 2.90.
In the last Ranji season, the pacer claimed 44 wickets for J&K, at 13.93 runs apiece. No other seamer crossed 35 wickets, and only Vidarbha’s slow left-arm orthodox Harsh Dubey finished above him in the highest wicket-takers’ tally.
And, in this year’s Ranji Trophy, he already has 29 wickets to his name.
In August, Nabi made headlines with his four wickets in four balls against East Zone in a Duleep Trophy match in Bengaluru.
His final figures of 5/28 in 10.1 overs for the North Zone led to the East Zone’s collapse. The four-wicket burst made him only the third bowler in the tournament’s history, after Kapil Dev and Sairaj Bahutule, to claim a hat-trick.
Not in the A team
After his performance last season, India A played three red-ball series. These included the shadow tour of England alongside the senior Test team, followed by home series against Australia A and South Africa A. Ten pacers were picked across these three squads. Nabi could not make the cut.
Multiple social media users now argue that he can no longer be overlooked for India A, an important platform to showcase one’s talent and suitability for Test match cricket.
“With every passing season over the last three years, he has proved himself through consistency and discipline. You simply can’t ignore him anymore. He’s competing with himself, getting better and better. And, is a one-of-a-kind talent,” Dhar added.
Compelling records
Nabi already had several strong spells and standout performances to his name, but it was his four-ball miracle in the Duleep Trophy that finally put him on the national radar. Until then, very few people knew who he was, even though he had been part of the J&K setup since his Under-19 days. Nabi’s popularity was on full display last month.
The moment Nabi walked out of the JKCA Sports Hostel and the Science College Ground on 19 November, the fourth day of J&K vs Hyderabad Ranji clash, a group of youngsters rushed toward him, asking for photos. Among them was 22-year-old Arif Bakshi.
Bakshi lives barely 10 minutes away from the JKCA Ground and has been turning up every day just to watch his idol play.
“I saw Auqib dominate the Hyderabad batters. It was phenomenal. His run-up looks like he’s gearing up to fire a bullet, and honestly, the ball hits the batter like one,” Bakshi told ThePrint, visibly gushing and having a fan boy moment.
“I want to become like him. He is one of the fastest and fittest in the squad.”
This is the kind of fame Nabi has earned. He has become a local hero, inspiring many youngsters like Bakshi to dream bigger and take up cricket seriously. But he remains grounded and focussed.
“I don’t think about records,” he told ThePrint, minutes after J&K defeated Hyderabad by 281 runs. “Every time I run in, I try to keep things simple, hit the right areas and take wickets.”
The 29-year-old played a crucial role in the match, claiming four wickets in the first innings to bundle out Hyderabad for a paltry 121, giving his team a 49-run lead. In the second innings, he added another scalp, dismissing Hyderabad’s left-handed ‘Pujara’, Rahul Radesh.
“A win is a win. The boys are happy, and it boosts confidence in the dressing room, but we are not getting carried away. The mission isn’t completed until we bring the trophy home,” he said.
In last year’s Ranji Trophy, he picked up six five-wicket hauls. His 44 wickets not only topped the charts for fast bowlers, but also broke J&K’s single-season record, surpassing the 38-wicket mark held by his idol Parvez Rasool.
Nabi’s dominance has continued this season too. Against Rajasthan, he produced a devastating spell of 7/24 in the second innings, finishing with 10 wickets in the match at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium.
He also contributed with the bat, scoring 55 crucial runs in J&K’s first innings total of 282. This helped his side secure a 130-run lead after Rajasthan were dismissed for 152.
Nabi was equally instrumental in J&K’s first-ever Ranji Trophy win over Delhi last month, grabbing a five-for in the second innings. His blend of swing and pace, clocking 140+ kmph, proved to be a tad ‘too much’ for experienced Delhi batters.
Bowling coach P. Krishna Kumar was full of praise for him, especially his ability to swing the ball both ways at will.
“It’s remarkable. He has worked hard on his skill, and it shows,” Kumar said after the match.
The coach noted how Nabi keeps taking five-wicket hauls almost every match, consistently strengthening his case for national selection. Like Dar, Kumar too believes Nabi could earn an India call-up very soon.
The admiration, however, is mutual. For years, the pacer recalled, the team lacked a dedicated bowling coach. “It was only after Mithun (Manhas) sir took charge that we finally got a bowling coach,” Nabi said, adding that Kumar’s guidance has helped him grow both technically and mentally.
“There was a period of about two years when I couldn’t take wickets. Since Kumar sir came on board, he has streamlined my bowling, simplified my approach, and made me a calmer player. The results over the past two years speak for themselves,” he added.
Overcoming challenges, setbacks
It was never smooth sailing for Nabi. In the initial few years, he felt lost, faced uncertainty, multiple rejections, and a string of average performances, before achieving the recognition he enjoys today.
These days, getting spotted by a talent scout is relatively easier. Talent-hunt camps have become increasingly common over the past four years in smaller villages and districts such as Baramulla, Doda and others across Jammu & Kashmir.
“Gaon mai talent hota hai (villages have maximum talent)” Nabi said, highlighting how youngsters living in far-flung areas are getting opportunities through these talent hunt camps. “There is a lot of talent at grassroot levels in J&K. I have seen it up close.”
Watching Parvez Rasool play in the Indian uniform inspired Nabi to take up cricket. Rasool, a former India cricketer from Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, represented the national side between 2014 and 2017.
But, Nabi, living in Baramulla, wasn’t aware of the process. For the longest time, he didn’t know how or where to appear for trials.
“I eventually learned about the trials in Srinagar through a friend, only to face rejection three times in a row,” Nabi shared.
It was the fourth attempt that finally worked. Nabi broke through at the Under-19 level for J&K and has since represented the state in Under-23, Under-25, Vijay Hazare, and now Ranji Trophy.
In his early days, he remembers travelling to nearby villages to play on matting pitches with tennis balls. There was no proper cricket ground.
So, the shift from tennis ball cricket to hard-ball cricket, from matting to turf, was an upgrade but was difficult to adapt to, Nabi admits.
But, challenges and setbacks don’t intimidate him.
“If you want to play for India, you have to cross these obstacles and work harder. That’s the only way to achieve what you dream of,” he said, naming Virat Kohli as his all-time favourite Test cricketer.
And as Nabi describes Test cricket as the “best form” of the game that challenges a player’s physical and mental endurance, one can’t help but see shades of Kohli in him. It’s the same intensity and conviction that the former India captain once spoke with.
“Nobody can match Kohli’s on-field presence, persona, and gameplay,” he added with a hint of regret in his voice at the thought that he would never get the chance to share a Test dressing room with him.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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