Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Dar was bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 8.40 crore at the IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday. Starting at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, Auqib started a bidding war between the Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad also went after his name, but it was DC that managed to get the player.
Who is Auqib?
The 28-year-old was born in Baramulla, Kashmir and wanted to become a doctor because of his father. However, the Dale Steyn of Baramulla decided to play cricket after he gave the JKCA trials. He was rejected initially but was selected in 2016.
Nabi made his Ranji Trophy debut for Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 and took three wickets against Karnataka in the quarter-final.
In the same season, Nabi finished his campaign with 24 wickets in just seven matches, at an average of 18.50, with two five-wicket hauls.
He didn’t play for the side for the next two years. However, he got a new life in the last season of the Ranji Trophy. Nabi claimed 49 wickets from nine matches at an average of 13.08.
In the 2025-26 season of the Duleep Trophy, he scalped four wickets in four balls against East Zone, the first time in the history of the Duleep Trophy.
Auqib is the third bowler to take a hat-trick in the tournament, after Kapil Dev and Sairaj Bahutule.