After a sensational domestic season, Auqib Nabi is gearing up to play in his maiden IPL, where he was bought for a whopping sum of INR 8.4 crore (US $900,000). Sarah Waris traces his journey to the big stage.
The numbers tell a story: a season of dominance in the Ranji Trophy with 60 wickets in 10 matches at an average just above 12. It followed another outstanding campaign the previous year, when he claimed 44 wickets at 13.93. Together, these performances marked Auqib Nabi as central to Jammu and Kashmir’s rise, culminating in a historic first title for the state. But statistics only scratch the surface. His journey started far from India’s cricketing power centres, in a place where resources were scarce and learning often meant figuring things out alone.
In Baramulla, cricket rarely follows a script. Nets are few, pitches uneven, and practice is often interrupted by curfews or uncertainty. For Nabi, these were not barriers but conditions he had to adapt to. “It was not difficult [per se]. It was just that the infrastructure was lagging. You don’t have wickets for practice in Kashmir or Jammu. It is coming slowly, but growing up, I didn’t have proper equipment or enough wickets. I used the limited resources for practice and prepared with that,” he says in a roundtable interaction.
'There was no one to tell me what I was doing wrong'
From a young age, mornings and evenings were defined by cricket. His father initially wanted him to become a doctor for the stability it offered. Yet Nabi never stopped chasing the game, practicing on whatever surfaces were available. Sometimes these were broken pitches, sometimes small patches of dirt, where even a slight misstep could lead to injury. Every session, thus, became an exercise in focus, even when progress was slow and results uncertain.
One memory remains central to his journey. A curfew had shut down movement across Baramulla, yet he and his father set up a makeshift net in their courtyard. He bowled for hours at a chair used as a substitute for a batter, adjusting lengths and angles in fading light. “Those days, wickets were scarce. I had to make do with what I had,” he says. To pursue his dreams further, Nabi started travelling nearly 60 kilometres to train in Srinagar, underlining the extent of effort required simply to access better facilities.
His efforts started showing fruit when he made his debut for the state Under-19s in 2015 before progressing to the Under-23s, the highlight being a five-wicket haul against Kerala in the C.K. Nayudu Trophy.
Nabi eventually made his List A debut in 2018 and his first-class debut two years later. His early returns were strong: across his first two List A seasons, he played 18 matches and picked up 34 wickets at 22.55, while his maiden first-class season brought 24 wickets at 18.50. The phase that followed, however, tested him. Across the next three seasons, he managed only 22 wickets as his first-class average rose to 42.46.
The dip came with limited exposure to structured coaching. Bowling had always come naturally to him, his high-arm action allowing him to generate swing, but there was precious little technical guidance early on. “We didn’t have bowling coaches in JKCA, so there was no one to tell me what I was doing wrong.”
The Krishnakumar influence
The next two breakthrough seasons were a result of the arrival of bowling coach P. Krishnakumar, who, Nabi says, worked closely with him to bring out his weaknesses. “The bowling coach started picking the small things that I wasn’t doing right, telling me how to adjust, so that’s been a difference.” The change was not just technical but mental. “I used to think a lot about the results, mindset-wise. In the last few years, I have also worked on handling pressure, and I don’t overthink much; I just follow what the bowling coaches tell me.”
Nabi once relied solely on outswing without variation from a wider release point. Initial sessions with Krishnakumar focused on correcting grip to generate better seam position and backspin, improving alignment closer to the stumps, and building control over movement in both directions. Fitness and diet were also given priority. Over time, these adjustments expanded his skill set while retaining his natural strengths.
The turnaround became visible last January against Mumbai, one of the most decorated sides in domestic cricket. Facing a line-up that included Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, and Shivam Dube, Jammu and Kashmir pulled off a rare win. Nabi’s four wickets in the second innings, including key dismissals in the middle order, broke the game open as Mumbai were bowled out for under 300, leaving a target of 205. The win signalled a shift, not just for the team but for his own trajectory, even if the spotlight was shared across the group.
The following season, the spotlight stayed with him. He began with four wickets in four balls in the Duleep Trophy, becoming only the fifth Indian to achieve the feat in first-class cricket. What followed was sustained dominance through the domestic season.
His performance was not limited to the red ball. In last season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he finished with 15 scalps at 13.26 with an economy rate of 7.41, while he got 14 at 22.85 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to cap off an all-round season, one that, he is aware, has inspired children back home.
“Earlier teams used to think they would beat us [Jammu and Kashmir] easily, but things have changed. We are competing with the best and beating them at home. Earlier, we were not winning trophies and didn’t have much support, but now parents are supporting us. It will bring a positive change in mindset.” His performances became both individual milestones and markers of a larger shift in Jammu and Kashmir cricket. “My message is to support us and support me like you always have. We need your support and prayers.”
'Don't go anywhere for trials'
His progress soon drew attention from the IPL circuit. Stints as a net bowler with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans exposed him to higher standards and sharper scrutiny. “It was a very good experience. You get to learn a lot from international and domestic players. It was a good experience to talk to international players and get feedback from them. It helped me understand where I can improve.”
Nabi sensed that he was a person of interest ahead of the 2025 player auction after Delhi Capitals’ head coach Hemang Badani told him, “We are watching you. Don't go anywhere for trials.”
The auction night was a moment his family had long been waiting for, with the scale of the occasion only becoming real when it unfolded. “I was at home on the day of the auction. The Vijay Hazare camp was about to start the next day. When my name came, a lot of people got emotional. It was a dream after so many years of hard work. I also got emotional when I saw my family. Everyone was happy and celebrating. It felt good.”
He was eventually signed by Delhi for INR 8.4 crore, but the number itself was secondary to the opportunity. “It was not about the money. I just wanted to play, even if I didn’t get 30 lakhs. I wanted to play in the IPL. It felt good that they picked me for a big amount.”
Backed by several stalwarts as someone who could be India’s next Test debutant, Nabi avoids dwelling on it. “A good performance in the IPL is very important. There is definitely less margin for error here because of the scrutiny. It is a global competition and very challenging. I think I have done well in red-ball cricket, but I have to continue that form in the IPL too. Obviously, playing for India is my ultimate goal. Winning matches for India would be a dream.”
If his rise was shaped by learning to figure things out alone, it is now defined by clarity. The surfaces are better, the support systems stronger, and the platforms bigger, yet the method remains unchanged. He still leans on the same strengths, the same fierce belief, and the same dream that first took root in Baramulla. The journey from scarcity to structure has not altered the core of his game, but has only sharpened it.
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