Auqib Nabi has emerged as a prominent fast bowler in domestic cricket, recently catching the attention of the Delhi Capitals (DC), who secured his services for Rs 8.4 crore during the IPL 2026 auction. DC kicked off their IPL 2026 journey with a solid victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), winning by six wickets at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. They are now gearing up to face the Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
In a pre-match interview, Nabi shared how the legendary South African pacer, Dale Steyn, fueled his ambition to become a fast bowler. “Growing up, I was a huge fan of Dale Steyn. His ability to swing the ball at high speeds deeply inspired me to pursue fast bowling with the hope of representing India someday,” he stated during a conversation with JioHotstar.
Nabi also credited former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan for playing a pivotal role in his career. “My father often scolded me for my obsession with cricket; he wanted me to become a doctor. But when Irfan bhai became a mentor for Jammu and Kashmir, my performances in the Under-23 team caught his eye. He guided me to make my debut for the senior team and provided invaluable tips along the way,” Nabi shared, expressing gratitude for Pathan’s mentorship.
**IPL 2026 Match Preview: Delhi Capitals vs. Mumbai Indians**
**Delhi Capitals Squad:** David Miller, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul (WK), Karun Nair, Axar Patel (C), Ben Duckett (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Pathum Nissanka, Ajay Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari.
**Mumbai Indians Squad:** Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch, Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (WK), Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.