New Delhi: He once failed back-to-back three trials trying to make his way into Jammu & Kashmir’s state team. 29-year-old Auqib Nabi today has the spotlight firmly on him after guiding his team to a historic maiden Ranji Trophy title. J&K outclassed Karnataka in the final to bring an end to a 67-year-long wait for their first-ever trophy.
Never considered among the elites and rarely taken seriously by their opponents, Jammu & Kashmir dominated the eight-time champions, the second-most successful team in the tournament’s history, in the final to win their first-ever title. Nabi has been the force behind J&K’s fairytale triumph with his consistent performances throughout the season.
Known as the ‘Baramulla Express’, Nabi played a significant role in Jammu & Kashmir’s success. He picked up an impressive 60 wickets in 10 matches, including a fifer in the final against Karnataka to finish as the highest wicket-taker of the season. Nabi picked up a staggering 14 wickets across the semifinal and final, highlighting his impeccable contribution.
He was the first pacer to breach the 50-wicket mark in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season after picking up a nine-wicket match haul against Bengal in the semifinal. However, Nabi’s real test came in the final against a star-studded Karantaka batting line-up consisting of the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair, among others.
As expected, he came out with flying colours. The 29-year-old bagged a fiffer, finishing with excellent figures of 5/54 off his 23 overs to put his side on top with a massive 291-run lead after bundling out Karnataka for 293 runs, in reply to J&K’s first-innings total of 584 runs. It was his seventh fifer of the season, the most by any bowler in the 2025-26 season.
Auqib Nabi failed three trials before making it big
Nabi’s story is nothing short of inspiring as he has risen through the ranks courtesy of his grit, determination and incredible dedication towards the game. From playing and honing his skills on dusty playfields in the Sheeri Village of Baramulla to making the best of India’s domestic batters dance to his tunes, Nabi has come a long way.
The star pacer’s father revealed how his hard work and dedication earned him the success that he is savouring today. Ghulam Nabi Dar, the pacer’s father, who is a teacher by profession, revealed that the only thing the 29-year-old did was to never give up on his dreams despite not finding encouragement at the start of his career.
Mostly practising on dusty playfields in his village, It was not until college that Nabi found proper turf pitches to bowl on. He attended Amar Singh College in Srinagar for his undergraduate degree, where he took the first steps towards playing cricket professionally. The 29-year-old failed as many as three trials for the J&K, as revealed by his father.
“The only thing he did not do was to give up. He studied at a local school in Sheeri and would spend a lot of time playing in dusty uneven playfield here,” Ghulam Nabi Dar told PTI.
“Auqib attended the trials three times and failed. But he did not give up and attended a trial for the fourth time and was selected,” he revealed further.
After Nabi’s stellar show in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, calls have grown louder for the pacer’s inclusion in India’s Test squad and a national call-up seems inevitable for the 29-year-old, who has been one of the most consistent performers in the Ranji Trophy over the last two seasons.
For his father, the Ranji Trophy triumph is only one of the two dreams that he wants his son to complete. Ghulam Nabi Dar wants to see his son don the Indian jersey and represent the country at the highest level – the ultimate dream for any cricketer across the nation.
“He has been part of one dream, there is one more to go — the dream to play for the country,” said Dar.