India, Dec. 17 -- When Auqib Nabi Dar runs in to bowl with the new ball for Delhi Capitals, alongside Mitchell Starc, it will mark one of the most unlikely journeys in recent Indian cricket. Picked up for a staggering Rs.8.40 crore at the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi - a 28-fold jump from his base price of Rs.30 lakh - the "Dale Steyn of Kashmir" arrives at the biggest stage not as a prodigy, but as a hardened domestic warhorse.

Nabi's rise has been forged through rejection and repetition. Over the years, he attended trials for at least five or six IPL franchises - Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad - without landing a contract. Even Delhi Capitals had shown interest last year...