Baramulla to big leagues: What led to Auqib Nabi’s IPL moment

The J&K bowling spearhead has been one of the most consistent fast bowlers in Ranji Trophy in the last two years

New Delhi: When Delhi Capitals picked Auqib Nabi for ₹8.4 crore at the IPL auction, the eight-figure price tag told only part of the story. For followers of Indian domestic cricket, the Jammu & Kashmir pacer’s rise is less a surprise and more the reward for years of quiet, relentless work.

File picture of J&K pacer Auqib Nabi who was bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹8.40 crore in the IPL players' auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. (PTI)

Coming from Baramulla in north Kashmir, Nabi has never had the luxury of shortcuts. He has built his career spell by spell, season by season, emerging as J&K’s bowling spearhead and one of the most consistent fast bowlers in the Ranji Trophy in the last couple of years.

“Overall coaching is not only about skills,” an ecstatic J&K bowling coach P. Krishna Kumar, who has worked closely with Nabi, told HT. “You have to spend time with the player, talk to him, understand personal things. Only then does a player start trusting the coach.”

Trust has been central to Nabi’s growth and he has often credited Krishna Kumar for honing his skills. Last year, the right-armer stood out with 38 wickets at an average of 13.45, including five five-wicket hauls. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker overall and was one of only two pacers in the top ten. In the ongoing Ranji season, he’s the second-highest wicket-taker yet again with 29 wickets at an average of 13.28 including three five-wicket hauls.

“He is very different from other boys,” Krishna Kumar said. “For the last two years, he has been performing brilliantly. Even when he didn’t get opportunities earlier, he never complained. He would just say, ‘Sir, it’s part of life.’ That mindset is rare.”

Nabi’s consistency has mirrored J&K’s own resurgence. The team reached the Ranji knockouts for the first time in five years last year, beating powerhouses like Mumbai and Baroda along the way. This year, their upward swing continues in wins over Delhi and Hyderabad. Krishna Kumar observes that Nabi’s biggest strength lies in his temperament.

“If he takes five wickets, his attitude is the same. If he goes for runs, his attitude is the same,” the coach said. “Mentally, he is very calm. That is very important if you want to play at a higher level. I have been coaching for 20 years, and I’ve seen very few players like him – Wasim Jaffer, Vikram Rathour and Sanjay Bangar. Whether they performed or failed, they moved on. That is crucial. That’s why Auqib is going places.”

Raised in a household where academics were the priority, Nabi secretly nurtured his cricketing ambitions by mimicking South African pacer Dale Steyn’s bowling action. His first selection trial with the JKCA ended in disappointment. The breakthrough finally came in 2018 with a Vijay Hazare Trophy debut, though injury soon stalled his momentum. His Ranji debut followed a year later and progress was gradual.

“Earlier, he had a good outswinger, but he wasn’t confident with the inswinger and other deliveries. I told him he had a brilliant wrist position. I said that if he worked on his skills, in two years he would be in the big leagues. This was two years ago at the Buchi Babu tournament. Today, he is at the IPL. There were no big changes in his action,” the coach said. “We worked on small tactical and mental aspects. When I told him something and he applied it, it worked. That builds belief.”

Nabi’s multi-crore IPL deal, rising from a base price of ₹30 lakh, has also become a symbol of the renewed emphasis on domestic cricket. His success in red-ball cricket dominates discourse but he also impressed at the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking up 15 wickets at an average of 13.

“This shows that domestic performances matter,” Kumar said. “Young players now see that if they grind in Ranji cricket, they will be rewarded.”

While Nabi is primarily a bowler, those around him see further potential. In his last match for J&K before the auction, he scored a 21-ball 32 in their 13-run win over Madhya Pradesh. Leading up to the auction, there was chatter about him being a player to keep an eye out for. Nabi remained characteristically low-key. On the day of the auction, he switched off his phone and disappeared from the spotlight, already thinking about the next challenge.

“He loves bowling, but he has natural power with the bat,” Kumar said. “If he works more on his batting and fielding, he can become an all-rounder. India needs that kind of player.”

“That tells you everything about him,” his coach said. “He doesn’t get carried away. He just keeps working.”

His coach once told him the big leagues were only a matter of time. Now, that’s no longer a prediction but a prophecy. Once known as Baramulla’s Steyn, Nabi will run in at the Feroz Shah Kotla, sharing the new ball with Mitchell Starc. His journey is only beginning.