The IPL auction always throws up a few shocks, and this year was no different. In 2026, the name that had everyone talking was Auqib Nabi Dar, a fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Pacer Auqib Nabi Dar Hits Jackpot
He started out with a base price of just 30 lakhs, but as the bids kept rolling in, his price soared. By the end, Delhi Capitals grabbed him for a whopping 8.4 crore, 28 times what he started at.
Auqib comes from Baramullah, and while his main gig is bowling medium-fast, he can swing the bat pretty well in the lower order too. He hasn’t played in the IPL before, but he’s made a name for himself playing for Jammu and Kashmir back home.
8.40 crore to Aquib Nabi Dar…
Hardwork always pays off ❤️.
Congratulations 🎊 👏 #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/xJSKg6g8E4— Kifayat Malik (@KifayatMalik176) December 16, 2025
Auqib Nabi Dar’s performance in domestic
So far, he’s racked up 36 first-class games, 29 List A matches, and 34 T20s for J&K. His stats? Solid. He’s taken 125 wickets in first-class cricket, 42 in List A, and 28 in T20s.
Last Ranji Trophy season (2024/25), he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker, collecting 44 wickets. And then in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, he pulled off something wild: four wickets in four balls against East Zone, which no one had ever done in that tournament before.
If you’re wondering about his form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, he was on fire i.e. 15 wickets in just 7 games, including one match where he grabbed four wickets.
In his last appearance, against Madhya Pradesh at Eden Gardens, he smashed 32 runs off 21 balls batting at number seven—two boundaries, three sixes—then came back and took 3 for 19 in four overs. Not a bad day at the office.
How did the Internet react?
₹8.4 CR at the IPL auction! 🔥
Congratulations Aquib Nabi Dar — a historic and proud moment for J&K.
The rise of the JK Express proves that dedication and hard work always pay off. pic.twitter.com/vQT1gQOaPO— Sarshad Natnoo (@natnoosarshad) December 16, 2025
₹8.4 crore for J&K pacer Aquib Nabi Dar says it all.
Genuine 140+ kmph pace, steep bounce, hard lengths and a fearless bowling style — Delhi Capitals aren’t buying hype, they’re backing a young Indian fast-bowling prospect with serious upside.
From the Valley to the big stage.… pic.twitter.com/00iEIxtb4k
— Himanshu Jain (@HemanNamo) December 16, 2025
Finally hard work pays off . Baramullah express Aquib Nabi dar sold out to Delhi capitals for a whopping price of ₹8.4 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. pic.twitter.com/VBUAycNogI
— Sheikh Zahir (@SheikhZahir123) December 16, 2025
