Auqib Nabi’s bubble bursts! With no pace, no variety, no Plan B, is he really the next big thing in Indian bowling?

[Sooda]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/auqib-nabi-s-bubble-bursts-with-no-pace-no-variety-no-plan-b-is-he-really-the-next-big-thing-in-indian-bowling-101777176931605-amp.html

 

 

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Auqib Nabi’s bubble bursts! With no pace, no variety, no Plan B, is he really the next big thing in Indian bowling?

A good bowler is a good bowler, no matter what the format is. Going by Nabi’s show so far in the IPL, it’s clear he is not as he has been made out to be.

Updated on: Apr 26, 2026 11:16 am IST

By Prateek Srivastava

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On the evidence of the first few of his IPL matches, Auqib Nabi doesn’t look like T20 material. Not to dishearten an inexperienced bowler, but he doesn’t look like any material. Now it’s up to him to prove his critics wrong.

 

 

Auqib Nabi looks too heavy for a fast bowler?(PTI)

 

It’s early days for sure. He has played just three matches. He has not taken any wickets and has been taken to the cleaners more often than not. But that’s not worrying. What is worrying is that he has come across as a very sub-standard bowler.

 

Also Read: Stygian gloom at Delhi Capitals: Axar fails in hottest KPI but franchise can’t do anything but wring hands in despair

 

To begin with, he has no pace to speak of. At this pace of 120-130 kmph on these belters, what chance can he have? And then, given how T20 batsmen are evolving, he is not going to last in the format for long, rest assured. Unless, of course, he drastically improves.

 

So far, he doesn’t have a Plan B. He bowls his four-day lengths, ball-in, ball-out. And that length in T20 cricket is damaging. No kidding, but the batsmen nowadays on these flat wickets have nothing to do other than close their eyes and give the ball a whack. They can hit these balls for a six all day long.

 

Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya showed that yesterday, as Punjab Kings made a mockery of Delhi Capitals’ 264. Highest chase ever in IPL history.

 

Auqib is also not at the right franchise. Sympathies. Captain Axar Patel has looked clueless at best. There was no reason for him to throw the Jammu and Kashmir bowler into the fire. He could have started with the more experienced Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan or even Lungi Ngidi.

 

But the captain is not entirely to blame; Auqib also bowled a no-ball in his second over, and to make things worse, he was hit for a six. It was an over in which he conceded 27 runs.

 

Big transformation is needed!

Going forward, after this season, Auqib has to undergo a massive transformation. He is too heavy for a fast bowler. As a result, he doesn’t look flexible enough. And as long as he is heavy, he can’t add those extra yards to his pace.

 

Succeeding in domestic cricket is one thing; succeeding in the IPL is another. We are not talking international cricket at present; that’s the highest level. If this is what Auqib has got at his disposal, the fast-tracking of him to Test cricket, as has been suggested by big names like Sourav Ganguly and Irfan Pathan, I am afraid, won’t work either.

 

In the Ranji Trophy, where you have the entire morning session in cold conditions all over the country on supportive pitches against not exactly very accomplished batsmen, one can be a hero, but in the IPL, it’s a totally different ball game. None of those things — cold conditions, supportive pitches and not so accomplished batsmen — you get in the IPL.

 

Delhi Capitals director of cricket and former India batsman Venugopal Rao has backed Nabi as he should. “Auqib Nabi did well in red-ball cricket. This is his first IPL. It happens to everyone. He will gain experience. We need to back him. It is difficult to get fast bowlers in India, and he has done well. He will learn,” he said after Saturday’s defeat.

 

But Rao should take his job a little more seriously. His intention can’t be questioned for sure, but he has not delivered. He should be called to account; for, the team has gone from bad to worse under him.

 

Anyway, he should make sure that by the end of this season, after the kind of start Auqib has had, he doesn’t totally disappear into oblivion. With 60 wickets in 10 games in J&K’s historic title-winning campaign, Nabi can’t be good for nothing.

 

But we will do well to remember that a good bowler is a good bowler, no matter what the format is. Going by his Nabi’s performances so far in the IPL, it’s clear he is not as he has been made out to be in recent months.

 

Now’s the time to reassess his potential and provide him with everything that can make the 29-year-old international material or even IPL material.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Prateek Srivastava

...Read MorePrateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there. After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month. Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their ""Short News"" content team at UC Browser. While cricket is Prateek’s expertise, he has also done a lot of golf. In fact, he has covered India’s first two European Tour events back in the late noughties. He has also done extensive writing on football having been associated with the Indian Super League for three seasons. Finally, Prateek is a literature aficionado and swears by Philip Roth and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and when he doesn’t joke, he is usually quiet and at work. Read Less

 

 

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[Sooda]

Feels harsh on Nabi , it's totally the wrong format for a start but we always suspected lack of pace is an issue 

 

 

 

I was thinking he could go with the ODI team to England to try him out as back up , he's a handy lower order bat too...  but the white ball does nothing and pitches so flat in ODIs too

 

 

 

He has shown enough even on flat picthes, Ranji final being an example 

[vvvslaxman]

If your top speed is slightly less than 140k in T20 you will have to totally rely on variations, predicting batsmen movement and executing unexpected deliveries. Yorker is not really a weapon in first class as it takes a lot out of you.  That is one of the key skills in T20.   Also short ball that rears up, slower bouncer. T20 specific deliveries are not the deliveries he probably honed at first class level. Sandeep sharma with that pace has become a legend in IPL. So if he wants to become a T20 specialist then he has to upskill himself. Even high pace travels here if you miss the mark.  He is not tall either. Having said that he can draw inspiration from guys like Prince yadav, Kamboj who are not exactly express pace bowlers.  

 

His strength is bowling the ball in and out seemingly at will. 

[cowboysfan]

why are we judging this guy on T20 games? judge him in long format games.

[VT87]

What a lod of s@@ even Bumrah get spanked in t20 you can’t judge a bowler in just random ipl matches

[tapandrun]

Issue here is the jurnos and the fans.

 

Nabi is a decent ranji bowler that is it, they were trying to make him look like something which he is not. Most of the hurnos and fans do not watch domestic cricket or understand cricket as such.

 

he had a good domestic season and ppl just hyped him. He is a sub 130 kmph bowler which does not really work in any format unless playing in v.supportive consitions.

Its okay to give domestic performers chances in IPL nothing wrong in it, but expectations should not be that high.

 

Sub 130 kmph pace wont even work in tests in Ind, so such bowlers are not even viable test options, yes may in SA/NZ not in eng any more they too are offering flat surfaces in tst.

 

Need alot of white-ball skills to play t20s, its a diff format, there is no help from surface apart if it bit tacky, then as well need to know how to bowl slower-ones and how to use it.

 

Batters these days hit 150 mph for 4s/6s unless the bowler is skillful its hard to survive in t20s. Even skillful bowlers have to re-invent themselves. 

 

Have not read the article but heading is too harsh for any bowler. Its IPL evey1 goes for runs.

 

Thats why its imp. to understand the formats and understand wht is the diff between a high potential players  

 

 

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

25 minutes ago, tapandrun said:

Issue here is the jurnos and the fans.

 

Nabi is a decent ranji bowler that is it, they were trying to make him look like something which he is not. Most of the hurnos and fans do not watch domestic cricket or understand cricket as such.

 

he had a good domestic season and ppl just hyped him. He is a sub 130 kmph bowler which does not really work in any format unless playing in v.supportive consitions.

Its okay to give domestic performers chances in IPL nothing wrong in it, but expectations should not be that high.

 

Sub 130 kmph pace wont even work in tests in Ind, so such bowlers are not even viable test options, yes may in SA/NZ not in eng any more they too are offering flat surfaces in tst.

 

Need alot of white-ball skills to play t20s, its a diff format, there is no help from surface apart if it bit tacky, then as well need to know how to bowl slower-ones and how to use it.

 

Batters these days hit 150 mph for 4s/6s unless the bowler is skillful its hard to survive in t20s. Even skillful bowlers have to re-invent themselves. 

 

Have not read the article but heading is too harsh for any bowler. Its IPL evey1 goes for runs.

 

Thats why its imp. to understand the formats and understand wht is the diff between a high potential players  

 

 

 

 

 

India has to create a pool of bowling resources for different formats. Looking at the IPL we have enough resources for T20I.  For ODIs we have to expand this bench. Right now among youngsters Harshit Rana is gambhir's choice. I don't think Arshdeep is fully ready for ODIs. We need to iterate other bowlers. For tests we can try these guys who can bowl longer spells. Aquib reminds me of Neser from Australia. He was not exactly pacy. But was effective in the Ashes with keeper standing up

Edited April 27 by vvvslaxman

[tapandrun]

2 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

 

India has to create a pool of bowling resources for different formats. Looking at the IPL we have enough resources for T20I.  For ODIs we have to expand this bench. Right now among youngsters Harshit Rana is gambhir's choice. I don't think Arshdeep is fully ready for ODIs. We need to iterate other bowlers. For tests we can try these guys who can bowl longer spells. Aquib reminds me of Neser from Australia. He was not exactly pacy. But was effective in the Ashes with keeper standing up

 

Aus did not have much choices for that series, they were pulling out bowlers frm the last reserves. So Neser's example is not a good one.

 

Yes a larger pool needs to be created for all 3 formats, Ind does not have a 3rd bowler in test and Odis and next wc is in SA. Arsh is not fit for Odis, he loses steam too early bowling sub 135 kmph nothing balls, same case for other too.

 

Ashok looks Odi prospect and tyagi as well if tyagi can bowl in test and sustain the speeds then it be be great. There is no point in investing in sub 135 kmph bowlers, firstly none of Ind batters can bat, secondly 1 injury they will go down to 125ish kmph bowlers.

 

Boland looked good in Aus and when he played in Ind it was like a fast off-spinner.  

 

 

 

[putrevus]

Vinay Kumar has 500 plus FC wickets with 22 avg. He played one test.This guy is not going to work in international cricket.

[Gollum]

Why mix formats?

[Gollum]

3 hours ago, putrevus said:

Vinay Kumar has 500 plus FC wickets with 22 avg. He played one test.This guy is not going to work in international cricket.

Not in all conditions. But he may be a vital cog in the NZ tour, should be cottonwool wrapped for that. 

 

Exactly the kind of player who works in NZ, and high time we prioritize winning there. One win in last 40 years is simply not good enough, even Bangladesh won a test there couple of years back.  

[bsriharsha]

Mohsin Khan might need to get a look too. Left arm pacer who can bowl in the 140s. 

 

I'd rest bumrah for the ODIs. Shami probably makes it to the odi xi. Bhuvi has been bowling well and we might want to give him one last chance in the odi team. 

 

Bumrah can play the t20s if need be. Otherwise wrap him in cotton wool to make him ready for tests. 

 

 

[singhvivek141]

Since he is a trundler, he will escape all criticism.

If he had been a fast bowler, ICF would have created thousand of threads mentioned why he is trash bin, garbage, shyte, pathetic....list goes on.

 

Anyway, keeping that aside. You need to have some amount of pace or gimmicks to survive in IPL on the flat pitches. Nabi dont have that at this moment, and with his lack of pace, not sure he would be able to survive in internationals either. He may remain a domestic Ranji stalwart like Vinay Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Vasuki Koushik, Pankaj Singh or Aniket Chaudhary. But nothing beyond.

[vvvslaxman]

2 minutes ago, singhvivek141 said:

Since he is a trundler, he will escape all criticism.

If he had been a fast bowler, ICF would have created thousand of threads mentioned why he is trash bin, garbage, shyte, pathetic....list goes on.

 

Anyway, keeping that aside. You need to have some amount of pace or gimmicks to survive in IPL on the flat pitches. Nabi dont have that at this moment, and with his lack of pace, not sure he would be able to survive in internationals either. He may remain a domestic Ranji stalwart like Vinay Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Vasuki Koushik, Pankaj Singh or Aniket Chaudhary. But nothing beyond.

 

When former Australian cricketers talk about fast bowling, they tend to begin with one thing: pace. You won’t hear them dwelling on how many full tosses someone bowled in a particular match. That’s because air speed is crucial in Australian conditions. Whether it’s someone like Dale Steyn or Glenn McGrath, the focus is often on young prospects such as Callum Vidler or Mahli Beardman—and specifically on their pace. Statistics take a back seat; the conversation is more about how to nurture and develop them. It’s very much a cultural mindset.

The 2018 series marked a turning point in Indian cricket, when India genuinely unsettled a SENA side with pace and bounce—it was thrilling to watch. That group of bowlers is now gradually fading, so the focus has to shift to finding replacements who can recreate that same impact. Naturally, genuinely fast bowlers should be at the center of that conversation.

[Nikhil_cric]

1 hour ago, vvvslaxman said:

 

When former Australian cricketers talk about fast bowling, they tend to begin with one thing: pace. You won’t hear them dwelling on how many full tosses someone bowled in a particular match. That’s because air speed is crucial in Australian conditions. Whether it’s someone like Dale Steyn or Glenn McGrath, the focus is often on young prospects such as Callum Vidler or Mahli Beardman—and specifically on their pace. Statistics take a back seat; the conversation is more about how to nurture and develop them. It’s very much a cultural mindset.

The 2018 series marked a turning point in Indian cricket, when India genuinely unsettled a SENA side with pace and bounce—it was thrilling to watch. That group of bowlers is now gradually fading, so the focus has to shift to finding replacements who can recreate that same impact. Naturally, genuinely fast bowlers should be at the center of that conversation.

Airspeed is crucial in Test cricket everywhere , not just in Australia. You need to be 85 mph average pace as a pace unit to be elite. 

 

You don't need to be express - gains are marginal above that pace range but below that 85 mph threshold and you'll never be elite anywhere. 

 

 

[singhvivek141]

1 hour ago, Nikhil_cric said:

Airspeed is crucial in Test cricket everywhere , not just in Australia. You need to be 85 mph average pace as a pace unit to be elite. 

 

You don't need to be express - gains are marginal above that pace range but below that 85 mph threshold and you'll never be elite anywhere. 

 

 

Averaging 85mph or roughly 136/137kph in Tests require the ability to hit 140 with ease. Shami & Bumrah have done that often and hence they are the most successful pacers in Tests. Umesh lacked control but his pace was valuable in subcontinent as he can generate tremendous reverse swing. At 130kph even reverse is out of equation, you are just a new bowl bowlers.

 

Doubt like of Nabi has that.we have seen so many bowlers who operate in late 130s in T20 like Kamboj or Mukesh...while barely touching 130 in Tests. Unadkut was bowling 134-135 in T20 but against WI Tests he was hovering at 127-128k...and was mauled.

[singhvivek141]

3 hours ago, bsriharsha said:

Mohsin Khan might need to get a look too. Left arm pacer who can bowl in the 140s. 

 

I'd rest bumrah for the ODIs. Shami probably makes it to the odi xi. Bhuvi has been bowling well and we might want to give him one last chance in the odi team. 

 

Bumrah can play the t20s if need be. Otherwise wrap him in cotton wool to make him ready for tests. 

 

 

That chapter is over, and right so.

Bhuvi is useless, he was dumped coz he lacked any venom in his bowling and was bashed by likes of Shanaka. Arshdeep for all his limitations is better than Bhuvi.

 

He is having some fun time in his last years like Mohit Sharma did couple of years back with GT, but not cut out for big level. He may be skillful but mentally he is extremely weak and will start bowling wides and full tosses the moment batters hit him for couple of boundaries.

 

[bsriharsha]

It's more of closing the chapter. We play too much cricket as it is 

[Nikhil_cric]

14 minutes ago, singhvivek141 said:

Averaging 85mph or roughly 136/137kph in Tests require the ability to hit 140 with ease. Shami & Bumrah have done that often and hence they are the most successful pacers in Tests. Umesh lacked control but his pace was valuable in subcontinent as he can generate tremendous reverse swing. At 130kph even reverse is out of equation, you are just a new bowl bowlers.

 

Doubt like of Nabi has that.we have seen so many bowlers who operate in late 130s in T20 like Kamboj or Mukesh...while barely touching 130 in Tests. Unadkut was bowling 134-135 in T20 but against WI Tests he was hovering at 127-128k...and was mauled.

Agreed. You can even be extremely good at the 82 mph average speed level but you need metronomical accuracy , a very high release point, strong release with high backspin or other such attributes. 

 

But it's risky because if their pace falls off even a little bit below that, they become cannon fodder. 

 

Case in point, Ollie Robinson. 

 

 

Edited April 28 by Nikhil_cric

[putrevus]

7 hours ago, Gollum said:

Not in all conditions. But he may be a vital cog in the NZ tour, should be cottonwool wrapped for that. 

 

Exactly the kind of player who works in NZ, and high time we prioritize winning there. One win in last 40 years is simply not good enough, even Bangladesh won a test there couple of years back.  

Nah, his action does not seem to create lot of swing.He is also not hit the deck bowler who could extract seam bowling .

 

His action reminds me of Pankaj Singh who was the OG work horse of domestic cricket who also came into Indian team leading Rajasthan to Ranji title.

 

You don't wrap 130 k bowlers in cotton wool. They need to keep bowling to become better, it is pity he got exposed.