‘Want to see Auqib Nabi play for India’:Father hoped son would become doctor, but fate and Delhi Capitals had other ideas | EXCLUSIVE

Fast bowler Auqib Nabi Dar from Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.40 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. Behind this success, along with Auqib’s hard work, his family also played an important role. Auqib’s father, Ghulam Nabi Dar, told Dainik Bhaskar in an interview that his dream was for his son to become a doctor. Because of this, Auqib also took the entrance exam for admission to medical college, but missed by a few marks. After that, he refused to take the exam again and decided to make cricket his career, which has brought him to the IPL today. Read Auqib’s father’s interview… Auqib Nabi Dar was also excellent in studies Ghulam Nabi said that Auqib was also excellent in studies. He topped at the zonal level in 8th and 10th grade and chose science stream in 12th. Along with studies, he also used to play cricket with children. After 12th, when he went from the village to Baramulla for college studies, his focus on cricket increased further. Ghulam Nabi said that he had only told his son that if he wanted to play cricket, he should play with full hard work and honesty. Auqib also has a sister, who has completed her post-graduation in Science. Celebration at home during the auction Ghulam Nabi said that there was a celebratory atmosphere at home during the auction. For the past two-three years, Auqib had been consistently performing well in domestic cricket, so they were confident that some team or another would definitely buy him. He said that they had hoped for a higher amount, but whatever they received is Allah’s blessing, and that is better for them. Second highest wicket-taker in this Ranji Trophy Auqib is known for his accurate yorkers and excellent length. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, Auqib took 15 wickets in 7 matches. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Auqib is the second-highest wicket-taker in the first leg of the current Ranji Trophy season with 29 wickets. In this list, only Siddharth Desai is ahead of him, who has 35 wickets. Kapil Dev’s record broken in Duleep Trophy Auqib Nabi Dar made history in this season of the Duleep Trophy. He became the first bowler in the tournament’s history to take four wickets in four consecutive balls. With this, he surpassed Kapil Dev’s record of three wickets in three balls (hat-trick) set in the 1979 final. Playing for North Zone against East Zone, Auqib took 5 wickets for 28 runs. With this performance, he joined the list of bowlers who have taken hat-tricks in the Duleep Trophy, Kapil Dev and Sairaj Bahutule, and went even further by taking four consecutive wickets. Was a net bowler for two IPL teams Auqib has previously served as a net bowler for two IPL teams. He has been a net bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Last season, Sunrisers Hyderabad wanted to include him in their team, but at that time, Aqib was not registered for the IPL mega auction.