He could prove to be a great buy for the franchise in the IPL 2026.
The star Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder has recently been rewarded for his excellent domestic stats in the IPL 2026 auction. Auqib Nabi had registered his name at a base price of INR 30 lakh in the mini auction. But the Delhi Capitals (DC) have roped in the player for a huge amount of INR 8.40 crore for the upcoming edition of the league.
Following his massive payday, the DC player revealed his wish to build an academy for the youngsters in his hometown, Baramulla. The 29-year-old also spoke about his long-awaited appearance in India’s cash-rich T20 tournament.
“I have given trials for MI, RR, KKR, GT and SRH. Last year, DC called me but I couldn’t go. I want to play in the IPL, it will help me achieve my dream of starting an academy in Baramulla,” stated the player to Times of India.
Nabi went on to discuss the challenging path that he had to cross to land a million-dollar IPL deal. The all-rounder opened up on how the scarcity of facilities forced him to travel to Bengaluru. But with the resources, the Jammu and Kashmir speedster now hopes to help the next generation of players receive proper training facilities in their locality.
“I would like to open an academy. There’s absolutely nothing here. When I started playing, I had to go to Bengaluru for training and played lower-division matches there. I want to find and train more Auqib Nabis from Baramulla,” added Nabi.
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The Capitals’ costliest domestic buy of the auction is also currently the second-highest wicket-taker of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Shockingly, the red-ball maestro, who has bagged 29 scalps in five matches of India’s ongoing First-Class tournament so far, once had to borrow bowling spikes from a teammate.
“I was shell-shocked. I was wearing sports shoes worth INR 500. When I got picked for U-19, I borrowed spikes from a friend who had already played U-19 for Jammu and Kashmir. He gave me a spare pair,” revealed Nabi.
The player also emphasised his dream of receiving the national team call-up. Nabi discussed how two of the young Indian pacers, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, encouraged him while representing the North Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025. He had also displayed an electrifying show in the red-ball tournament, snaring six wickets in just two fixtures.
“When I started taking cricket seriously, my sole aim was to represent India. Coming from Baramulla, even thinking about playing for your country is a big thing. You don’t have role models. Now, my only goal is to play for India. Nothing else. I’ll keep working hard to achieve that,” he said.
However, with 43 wickets at an economy of 7.74 and 141 runs in 34 matches, the INR 8.40 crore recruit of DC also possesses brilliant T20 stats to his name. He has also scalped 15 wickets in seven fixtures of the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025.
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