Jammu and Kashmir’s cricketing nursery has produced another fast-bowling sensation. After Umran Malik’s fiery pace in the Indian Premier League brought the Valley into the cricketing spotlight, 28-year-old
Auqib Nabi from Baramulla has now taken centre stage with a remarkable performance in the Ranji Trophy.
In the ongoing Ranji match against Rajasthan, Nabi delivered a spell that will be remembered for years. Bowling with relentless accuracy, he claimed 7 wickets for just 24 runs in 11 overs, including 3 maidens, in the second innings. His spell dismantled Rajasthan’s batting line-up, as they crumbled to 89 all out. Combined with his three wickets from the first innings, Nabi ended the match with figures of 10 wickets, propelling Jammu and Kashmir to an emphatic victory by an innings and 41 runs.
Nabi’s all-round performance was equally impressive. Earlier, with the bat, he contributed a gritty 55 runs, guiding his team to a first-innings total of 282. Rajasthan managed only 152 in chase, and their top order disintegrated under Nabi’s pace in the second innings, losing 5 wickets for just 41 runs. At one point, he claimed 5 wickets for 5 runs in 6 overs, two of them maidens.
This was Nabi’s third five-wicket haul of the 2025–26 season, underscoring his consistency with the ball. Since the start of the 2024 Ranji Trophy season, the pacer has taken 68 wickets in just 12 matches, including 8 five-wicket hauls, a statistic that places him among the most formidable bowlers in domestic cricket.
Auqib Nabi since 2024 Ranji
12 matches
68 wickets
13.1 average
8 five-wicket hauls
2 four-wicket haulsI hope Bcci is Watching and consider him for South Africa series pic.twitter.com/x7vfZde3Ke
— Peer Haseeb (@haseebpeer6) October 27, 2025
His success in the Ranji Trophy follows a historic performance in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, where he became the first bowler to take four wickets in four consecutive deliveries, a record that instantly drew attention from cricket enthusiasts across the country.
Born in Baramulla, Auqib Nabi’s journey has been one of perseverance and self-learning. The son of a schoolteacher, Nabi excelled in academics as much as in sports. His breakthrough came through a talent hunt programme that changed the course of his life. Largely self-taught during his early years, Nabi honed his craft by studying videos of South African legend Dale Steyn, whom he regards as his “virtual coach”.
In domestic cricket, Nabi’s numbers speak for themselves. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024–25 Ranji season, bagging 44 wickets in eight matches at an impressive average of 13.93. His performances earned him a call-up to the North Zone team in the Duleep Trophy, where he added 6 wickets and scored 54 runs in two matches.
So far, Nabi has featured in 33 first-class, 29 List A, and 27 T20 matches, claiming 113 wickets in first-class cricket, 42 in List A, and 28 in T20s.
