IPL Auction 2026: Who Is Auqib Nabi Dar? 29-Year-Old Star Who Triggered A Bidding War Between SRH And DC

29-year-old Auqib Nabi Dar, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, created a buzz in the IPL 2026 Auction at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.  Auqib Nabi has played 36 first-class, 29 List A, and 34 T20 matches so far.

Additionally, he averages 19 with a ball in first-class cricket and has picked up 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 7.41 in this year's SMAT edition.

Nabi, who has never played in the Indian Premier League before, joined the IPL 2026 auction pool as an all-rounder with a base price of Rs 30 lakhs and was secured by Delhi Capitals after a fierce bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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Auqib Nabi Dar's Record

The player has dismissed 125 batters in 59 innings of 36 first-class matches played so far. Additionally, he has also scored 870 runs as a batter. In List A cricket, he has 42 wickets registered to his name in 29 matches, and in T20, he has picked up 43 wickets in 34 matches.

SMAT match between Jammu and Kashmir against Madhya Pradesh on December 8, 2025, was when he was last seen in action. In that fixture, Auqib scored 32 runs off 21 balls as the number 7 batter.

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Delhi Capitals Acquire Auqib Nabi Dar At IPL Auction 2026

Delhi Capitals picked up the 29-year-old for 8.40 crore in the IPL 2026 mini auction. The first bid for Nabi was made by the Delhi Capitals, and initially, the franchise was involved in a battle with the Rajasthan Royals. However, RR soon opted out, and RCB joined the bidding war.

Eventually, the final bidding war erupted between the Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the Delhi side coming up on top for the player.