The moment during every Indian Premier League (IPL) auction when veteran followers are taken by surprise is always there. In the Abu Dhabi 2026 IPL Auction, Auqib Nabi, an uncapped Jammu and Kashmir all-round player who started at a base price of 30 lakhs rupees, was catapulted for 84 million rupees. Auqib Nabi was not just an impulsive purchase – it was a gamble with a high level of risk that turned into a full-fledged bid battle.
So the question isn’t, is Auqib Nabi talented? The question is, why do franchises think they have to invest this much money, this early, in players who haven’t played in the IPL yet?
When domestic dominance stops being ignored
Nabi’s price tag can’t be separated from his 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) performance. He took fifteen wickets in seven games at an average of 13.26 with an economy rate of 7.41. This is elite output for the most competitive Twenty20 domestic cricket league in India. His economy rate specifically suggests to me that he has great control rather than creating chaos. IPL teams are learning – sometimes through pain that Twenty20 success is increasingly based on limiting damage by bowlers rather than simply getting wickets.
The SMAT is becoming more of a reliable indicator of how well players will adapt to the IPL compared to raw statistics from the Ranji Trophy. Nabi didn’t just do well in the SMAT; he destroyed it.
Delhi Capitals’ auction behaviour tells a story
DC’s auction order of business is important because they secured international batting talent earlier with the purchase of David Miller and Ben Duckett, before they went “all-in” for Nabi. That wasn’t panic buying, that was constructing a portfolio. Once the international roster had been partially defined, there was space for an investment in a local bowling all-rounder with the ability to perform during various phases of a match.
Indian pace bowling all-rounders are historically difficult for the Delhi Capitals to find in T20 cricket. As such, this seems like a focused effort to address that problem as opposed to an act of speculation.
The uncapped premium is no longer irrational
In the past, uncapped player deals such as that of Varun Chakaravarthy in 2019 were considered anomalies. Following Avesh Khan’s ₹10 crore deal in 2022, we have Prasanth Veer’s ₹14.20 crore deal in 2026; thus, Nabi’s ₹8.40 crore deal is clearly an example of the continuation of the overall inflation trend, not a departure from it.
Elite domestic players are a “numbers game” for Indian franchises; elite domestic players give franchises long-term, low-cost value; elite Indian all-rounders offer franchisees long-term continuity, long-term roster stability, and future upside as opposed to the risk that comes from an overseas cricketer’s availability.
From regional cricket to national spotlight
In addition to that very publicised movement, there exists an equally important (albeit less publicly acknowledged) secondary trend as well. The type of players who normally would be able to generate the same sort of value at the IPL will now typically get overshadowed by their abilities on the field; rather than simply being judged based on their past performances or family lineage. It also seems like Nabi is an example of that larger trend of decentralising India’s talent map, where performance trumps pedigree and similar to how Mohammed Siraj was once an unknown in domestic cricket until he became known after his involvement with the IPL.
This is a positive for the IPL; for the scouting departments, it is proof of a deeper (and more data-based) method of identifying the most talented players.
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