Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL five times, are already getting prepared for the next season in a major turnaround of events and have invited Auqib Nabi, a Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler, for a trial at their practice venue in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians have been quite busy during the pre-season period as they played a role in two trades and have almost completed building their team for the IPL 2026. In addition, regarding Auqib Naqi, the 29-year-old still has no IPL experience and so the next season is likely to be his first.
Why is it that the J&K fast bowler is sought after for IPL 2026?
In case you don’t know, Nabi is very popular and appreciated for his recent performances in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The right-handed bowler has bagged 29 wickets in nine innings, apart from recording three five-wicket eliminations. On the other hand, he is a good batsman and has made 146 runs in seven innings, including a fifty. There are four players from Kashmir – Rasikh Salam, Abdul Samad, Yudvir Singh, and Umran Malik – the four players.
Nabi’s performance has actually raised the profile of Jammu & Kashmir in the current edition, as the northern team is now second on the league table, just behind Mumbai. J&K has earned 20 points in five games and has suffered only one defeat throughout the tournament.
Mumbai Indians are negotiating a deal for Nabi.
It is also important to mention that Mumbai Indians have only 2.75 crores remaining in their budget and that with the limited funds left they will try to acquire Nabi to enhance their bowling attack.
It is remarkable, however, that this is not the first instance of a player trial being preferred by a team as the Chennai Super Kings had also summoned Ayush Mhatre last season and finally included the Mumbai-based cricketer in the middle of the season as a substitute for Ruturaj Gaikwad.