Ahead of Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2026 opener on Wednesday, Auqib Nabi will need to recall how his last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 outing for Jammu and Kashmir fetched him 15 wickets at an economy rate 7 runs per over. At the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, his economy was 5, while he was the hero of the historic Ranji Trophy triumph.
“Keep it simple,” is the advice to the Baramulla pacer from J&K bowling coach P Krishna Kumar, ahead of his anticipated debut against Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, asking him to disregard the IPL hype.
Kumar urges the mild-mannered soft-spoken bowler to follow the template set by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. It’s mostly because both swing the ball, but also have calm temperaments.
“Bhuvi is perhaps the best bowler in the later stages and with the new ball. He’s rarely hit by batsmen, because he swings the ball. Nabi up front has one of the best yorkers,” the coach says. “Bhuvi’s the guy to follow.”
Auqib Nabi became the third fastest bowler to 60 wickets in a season in the Ranji Trophy’s 92-year history. (PTI Photo)
The disciplined J&K bowler has been delivering at the start as well as the end of innings. He uses swing to get early breakthroughs and can bowl yorkers effortlessly at the death.
In a media interaction ahead of the first game, Auqib spoke about improving one half of this requirement. “I won’t say it’s challenging, but I definitely need to improve my bowling at the death,” he said, adding that with his focus on red-ball cricket most season, white-ball nuances needed re-acquainting.
Through the white-ball part of the season, Aquib had stuck to the basic grammar. “small moments often decide big games in T20 cricket,” he would stress.
His state bowling coach would agree. “T20 bowling is about 24 balls, and it’s one delivery at a time,” Krishna would say.
“If you bowl a brilliant ball and the batsman still hits it for six, you have to move on,” he urges, aware that the batters’ skill in the IPL is higher than in Ranji Trophy cricket. “The skill in the IPL is obviously going to be better. But you have to remember they are humans, they will make mistakes too.”
Role model
For someone who has modelled his action and bowling style watching Dale Steyn and Mohammed Shami, it’s the quietly deceptive Bhuvi who offers the way forward in a format where he will be expected to deliver results in a much shorter time frame.
Despite his herculean effort in helping J&K win their first Ranji Trophy title, the IPL provides a shinier platform for Auqib to get noticed. For the 29-year-old, the goals are straightforward.
“I’ll focus on my own preparation. Not go beyond my strengths – that’s swinging the ball both ways – and try to win the first trophy for Delhi Capitals,” he would say. Forget other teams, support Delhi, he asks fans.
Auqib is also a handy batter. “It’s good for a team if a bowler can bowl four overs and score some runs,” he says.
Auqib Nabi Dar in express mode 🚅😮💨 pic.twitter.com/XEQkAW8qxv
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 26, 2026
There are no prized scalps he’s targeting. “Each wicket will be important for the team,” Auqib said.
In the course of two seasons for J&K, he’s also worked on his mindset, learning not to get desperate about selection. “Earlier, I used to think too much about results. Now it’s the process,” he says. His IPL team could do with Auqib’s unclouded confidence. “I don’t think Delhi are underdogs. They are a pretty balanced side,” he insists.
Auqib has struck a rapport with DC bowling coach Munaf Patel. “He’s a chill coach. He says ‘stick to routine, bowl just like domestic cricket, and stay positive.’ We haven’t worked too much on technical skills till now. I had a good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy so have a good chance of doing well in the IPL,” he says.
