Who is Auqib Dar, the uncapped Kashmir player bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore

Delhi Capitals (DC) made a big move at the IPL 2026 mini auction by signing uncapped Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Dar for Rs 8.4 crore. The right-arm medium bowler has quietly built a strong reputation in domestic cricket and is now set to make his mark on the biggest T20 stage in the world.

Auqib Dar is all set to feature in the #TATAIPL 👌

The all-rounder joins @DelhiCapitals for INR 8.4 Crore 👏👏#TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/RQ1tK7W2RF

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 16, 2025

Also Read: DC IPL Auction 2026: Delhi Capitals full squad after auction and complete players list

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Who is Auqib Dar?

Auqib Dar, whose full name is Auqib Nabi Dar, was born on November 4, 1996. He represents Jammu & Kashmir in domestic cricket and plays mainly as a fast-medium bowler. Auqib made his List A debut in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy and his T20 debut a year later in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

He made his first-class debut in January 2020 during the Ranji Trophy and quickly grabbed attention with his ability to take wickets on a consistent basis. One of his early standout performances came when he picked up 5 for 39 against Odisha in a Ranji Trophy match.

Breakthrough performances

Auqib’s biggest breakthrough came in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. He finished with 44 wickets, the second-highest wicket-taker that season, with an impressive average of 13.93 and a strike rate of 30.47. His performances earned him a spot in the North Zone squad for the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy.

In a match against East Zone, Auqib made headlines by taking four wickets in four balls. He continued his fine form in October 2025 against Rajasthan, where he scored his career-best 55 with the bat and also claimed match figures of 10 wickets, including a brilliant 7 for 24.

In first-class cricket, he has taken 125 wickets in 36 matches at an average of under 20, including 12 five-wicket hauls. He can also contribute useful runs down the order, with over 800 runs in red-ball cricket. Auqib has picked up 43 wickets in T20s at a strike rate of under 17 and 42 wickets in List A cricket.

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Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal said the franchise was looking for a bowler who could take wickets in the powerplay, an area they felt was a weakness last season, as they often had to rely on Axar Patel or Vipraj Nigam to break partnerships when opposition batters went on the attack early.

“We didn’t have enough wickets in the powerplay and Axar or Vipraj had to bowl in the powerplay. For powerplay, we’ve been tracking Aquib, so we went all the way for him to J&K,” Jindal said during the break in Abu Dhabi.