Auqib Nabi gets special praise from Narendra Modi ahead of IPL 2026
Published - 29 Mar 2026, 05:31 PM | Updated - 29 Mar 2026, 05:33 PM
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Amid the Indian Premier League 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the emerging pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, Auqib Nabi, during his latest Mann Ki Baat episode on Sunday. PM stated that Nabi and Jammu and Kashmir’s recent success in the Ranji Trophy will inspire the youth in the future.
In the bunch of multiple emerging and fresh talents, J&K pacer Auqib Nabi is at the top of the list for his standout bowling performances in the previous domestic tournaments for the state team. As a reward for constant, effective bowling efforts, he got a lucrative Indian Premier League contract during the IPL 2026 mini auction.
A bidding war in the auction room for Auqib Nabi
Multiple franchises showed their interest in the bowler, who can move the ball in both directions. The bidding war for Nabi started with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but it was the Delhi Capitals (DC) who secured the signature of the emerging star. DC invested a whopping amount of INR 8.40 crore to secure the service of Nabi.
Auqib Nabi captured the headlines mostly due to his skillful bowling spells in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. In this season, the seamer took 60 wickets in 17 innings at an economy rate of only 2.65. As a bowler, his strike rate was 28.00.
Standout domestic outings for the emerging pacer from Jammu and Kashmir
During the first innings of the final match of the campaign, and in the 1st innings of the second semi-final, in back-to-back games, he bagged 5-wicket figures each. In the last 5 Ranji Trophy innings, the bowler picked up 26 wickets, including a figure of 7/40.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), Auqib Nabi claimed 14 wickets in 7 innings while his economy rate was 5.77. And in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (SMAT) tournament, the paceman plucked 15 wickets in 7 innings for a handsome economy rate of 7.55, which shows that the bowler is capable of delivering well in both longer and limited-overs formats.
PM Narendra Modi addressed Nabi
While addressing the nation through the Mann Ki Baat episode, PM Narendra Modi mentioned Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra and Auqib Nabi for an encrypted history in Indian cricket. J&K claimed their first Ranji Trophy award, waiting after almost seven decades.
“Last month, an interesting match was witnessed in Karnataka's Hubballi, where Jammu and Kashmir's cricket team won the Ranji Trophy. The most gratifying aspect is that after a long wait of seven decades, this team won its first Ranji Trophy title. This unprecedented success is the result of years of continuous efforts by the players,” PM Modi said during the live episode.
“Team captain Paras Dogra displayed exemplary skill. Today, the performance of young Kashmiri bowler Auquib Nabi, who took 60 wickets in the Ranji season, is also being discussed across the country.”
“After this exemplary performance on the cricket ground, enthusiasm has increased among the youth there. In the coming days, this will inspire many young people to take up sports,” he continued.
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