Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has appeared for trials with Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The 29-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the years, especially in red-ball cricket. Nabi finished as the second leading wicket-getter in Ranji Trophy 2024/25 and is on the same position at present in the ongoing season.
MI eyeing Nabi for IPL 2026?
As per Times of India, Nabi appeared for trials on Friday at MI’s facility in Ghansoli. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer finished with 44 wickets to his name in Ranji Trophy 2024/25 emerging not just as the second leading wicket-taker but also the pacer with most wickets in the season. While Nabi has been outstanding in red-ball cricket off late, his numbers in the shortest format of the game aren’t that great but he is a promising bowler.
Having made his T20 debut in 2019, Nabi has managed to pick up 28 wickets in 27 matches, and averages 26.39. His best numbers are in the red-ball format where he has 125 wickets from 36 matches and averages 19.98.
Nabi could be a perfect replacement for Arjun Tendulkar in MI, who was earlier traded to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The left-arm medium fast pacer featured in just 5 games for MI across two seasons, and picked up 3 wickets in the limited opportunities he received. Apart from the fact that Nabi could be bought at a low price, MI have a good chance to strengthen their pace unit with the addition of the Jammu and Kashmir pacer to the squad.
