Auqib Nabi scripts history with a hat trick in the Duleep Trophy: Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has etched his name in the history books with a stunning performance in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025 quarter-final between North Zone and East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru on Friday, August 29.
The 28-year-old from Baramulla left everyone amazed after claiming a sensational hat trick, joining the elite company of Indian greats like Kapil Dev. Auqib Nabi pulled off this rare feat in the 53rd over of East Zone’s innings, making it one of the most memorable moments of the match.
Auqib Nabi destroys East Zone with a five-wicket haul
Auqib Nabi completely rattled the East Zone batting lineup during his fiery spell. His record-breaking hat trick began with Suraj Jaiswal, who was caught behind by North Zone wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan for 10. Next ball, Manishi was trapped leg-before for a golden duck, and to complete the hat trick, Mukhtar Hussain was bowled-also for a golden duck.
But Auqib Nabi didn’t stop there. He also sent back the well-set Virat Singh, who had scored 69, and then dismissed veteran pacer Mohammed Shami for just 1. With that, Nabi wrapped up a brilliant five-wicket haul and turned the game firmly in North Zone’s favor.
Earlier in the match, Auqib Nabi had already shown his all-round value. With the bat, he smashed a quick 44 off 33 balls, helping North Zone put up a strong total of 405 runs in their first innings.
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A rare feat in Duleep Trophy history
By dismissing Kanhaiya Wadhawan, Manishi, and Mukhtar Hussain in consecutive deliveries, Nabi became only the third bowler in Duleep Trophy history to take a hat trick. He now shares this rare record with two legends of Indian cricket – Kapil Dev and Sairaj Bahutule.
The great Kapil Dev, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, was the first to do it, achieving the milestone while playing for North Zone against West Zone at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla in the 1978/79 season. Later, Sairaj Bahutule repeated the feat for West Zone against East Zone at Pune’s Nehru Stadium in the 2000/01 season.
Auqib Nabi’s rise across formats
This performance is only the latest example of why Auqib Nabi is being seen as one of India’s brightest fast-bowling prospects. In just 29 first-class matches, he has bowled nearly 4,000 deliveries and taken 90 wickets at a terrific average of 22.12. His best figures so far are 6/53 in an innings and 10/74 in a match.
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What makes him stand out is his consistency – he has kept an economy rate of 2.98 and a strike rate of 44.4, while also notching up eight five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls in red-ball cricket.
Auqib Nabi has been just as effective in limited-overs cricket. In 29 List A matches, he has picked up 42 wickets at an average of 28.88, with an economy rate of 5.07 and a strike rate of 34.1 – numbers that show how regularly he troubles batters across formats.
To put things in perspective, in the very same match, senior Indian pacer Mohammed Shami managed only one wicket while giving away 100 runs in 23 overs against North Zone in the first innings. Nabi’s performance, therefore, stood out even more.
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