Amid the Indian Premier League 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Jammu and Kashmir’s rising fast bowler Auqib Nabi during his latest Mann Ki Baat. Sunday’s episode. The PM said that the recent success of Nabi and Jammu and Kashmir in Ranji Trophy will inspire the youth in future.
Among the many emerging and fresh talents, Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi tops the list for his exceptional bowling performances in the last domestic tournament for the state team. As a reward for consistent, effective bowling efforts, he received a lucrative Indian Premier League contract during the IPL 2026 mini auction.
Bidding war in auction room for Auqib Nabi
Many franchises showed their interest in a bowler who can swing the ball in both directions. The bidding war for Nabi started with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but it was Delhi Capitals (DC) who secured the signature of the rising star. DC invested a huge sum of Rs 8.40 crore to secure Nabi’s services.
Auqib Nabi grabbed most of the headlines due to his efficient bowling in Ranji Trophy 2025-26. This season, the seamer took 60 wickets in 17 innings at an economy rate of just 2.65. As a bowler his strike rate was 28.00.
Unusual domestic activities for Jammu and Kashmir’s budding fast bowler
during the first innings of the final match of the campaign, and in the 1stscheduled tribe In the second semi-final innings, in back-to-back games, he took 5 wickets each. In the last 5 Ranji Trophy innings, the bowler has taken 26 wickets, including figures of 7/40.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), Auqib Nabi took 14 wickets in 7 innings, while his economy rate was 5.77. And in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (SMAT) tournament, the fast bowler took 15 wickets in 7 innings at an impressive economy rate of 7.55, which shows that the bowler is capable of performing well in both longer and limited overs formats.
PM Narendra Modi addressed the prophet
Addressing the nation through Mann Ki Baat In the episode, PM Narendra Modi mentioned Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra and Auqib Nabi for the encrypted history in Indian cricket. After a wait of almost seven decades, Jammu and Kashmir won its first Ranji Trophy trophy.
“Last month, an interesting match was witnessed in Hubli, Karnataka, where the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team won the Ranji Trophy. The most pleasing 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 sustained efforts of the players,” PM Modi said during the live episode.
“Team captain Paras Dogra displayed exemplary skill. The performance of Auqib Nabi, the young Kashmiri bowler who took 60 wickets in the Ranji season today, is also being talked about across the country.”
He further said, “After this exemplary performance on the cricket field, the enthusiasm among the youth there has increased. This will inspire many youth to take up sports in the coming days.”
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