IPL 2026 Auction: The recently-concluded IPL mini-auction, which took place in Abu Dhabi, stood out in an aspect where the franchise trusted the young uncapped Indian players. The story of players such as Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer being sold to CSK for a staggering Rs 14.20 Crore caught the attention of the fans. As these buys became a major talking point of the auction, there was a story of Bihar's Sakib Hussain, which got viral in the form of a video, posted by KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) in 2024. KKR bought Sakib for a base price of 20 Lakhs. However, the pacer didn't get a game and got released before the 2025 auction.

He went unsold again in the 2025 auction but was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for his base price of Rs 30 lakh in 2026.

In the video posted by KKR in 2024, Sakib reflected on his journey, where he spoke about not being able to buy spikes (Cricket shoes) as they were expensive.

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"I don’t really have much, but whatever I want to achieve, this is it. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do this. Happiness and struggles come and go in life. Even spikes (cricket shoes) are expensive — bowling spikes cost around ₹10,000–15,000. So, where would I get that kind of money to buy shoes? I’m from Bihar, from Gopalganj district, about 185 kilometers from Patna. We don’t come from a wealthy background; my father is a farmer. Whatever income we had came from farming. If things got tough and money ran short, I used to tell my parents that it might not be possible. We’re a middle-class family — all we wished for was that our family does well.

I’ve always dreamed of serving the country, so initially, I wanted to join the Army.

I started playing tennis ball matches — for ₹500, ₹600, sometimes ₹1,500–2,000. That’s how I earned a bit. Then I decided — I want to play cricket. But the shoes were too expensive; bowling spikes cost ₹10,000–15,000, and I couldn’t afford them," Sakib said.

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Check out the full video here:

Mother Sold Jewellery For My Shoes: Sakib

"My mother sold her jewelry so I could buy the shoes," Sakib stated.

"A year ago, I played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I took four wickets in two matches. Many IPL scouts were watching, and I was chosen as the net bowler for CSK.

But I told myself — right now I bowl at 140–144 km/h, next year I’ll be bowling at 150–155 km/h. My coach Robin sir called me and said, “Your name came up on TV!” I couldn’t believe it at first and thought he was joking.

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The whole of Gopalganj and even Bihar celebrated. My hard work finally paid off. My parents raised me with great struggle, and now they say, “This boy of ours has made us proud. He’s a very good son.”

Other than Sakib, Bihar's Mohammed Izar was picked up by SRH in the mini-auction.

 


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