When Lungisani Ngidi was picked for Delhi Capitals during the IPL 2026 mini-auction in December, the South African pacer immediately looked up Auqib Nabi – searching for and reading about the Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler.

“I started reading about him and his performances. He’s done very well recently, and I was excited to meet him,” Ngidi said in a select media roundtable on Thursday.

Nabi took 60 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.56 and was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, leading J&K to its maiden red-ball title.

“When I met him, I realised how skilful he is,” Ngidi said, adding that he found Nabi’s swing similar to that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

“He can swing the ball both ways, bowl yorkers, operate at a good pace, and also contribute with the bat. He’s a complete cricketer,” the South African added.

“I enjoy meeting players who are trying to come through the system and make a name for themselves. Those are the stories I really appreciate.”

The 30-year-old Ngidi has been part of nine IPL seasons since making his debut in 2018 for Chennai Super Kings, but has featured in only 20 matches so far.

“This is my ninth IPL season, and there were about three years where I didn’t play a game,” Ngidi said. “It’s frustrating, but you don’t select yourself. I focus on what I can control, which is performing when I get the opportunity.”

Ngidi used that time to train and develop his game, while preparing for national duty in Proteas colours.

He added that making his IPL debut under a calm captain like MS Dhoni helped him as a 21-year-old. “Having a captain who is calm and not emotional helps you stay composed. They backed me and trusted me. I opened the bowling in a final in my first season, so clearly they had confidence in me,” he said.

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It was during the same season that he learned the art of slower balls from Dwayne Bravo. “I asked him to teach me his variation, and he showed me a couple of things. It wasn’t perfect straight away, but over the years I developed it,” he recalled.

Eight years later, Ngidi has mastered that craft, using slower, dipping deliveries to trouble batters looking to swing big.

“Now it’s one of my weapons. It takes confidence to run in and bowl it, especially trying to make it dip on a yorker length. There are times I’ll get it wrong, and world-class batters will punish it. But when I get it right, it creates chances,” he said.

Delhi Capitals will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, an away fixture. For Ngidi, however, it’s a return to a venue that was his home in IPL 2025.

Asked if there would be any emotions playing against his former side, Ngidi made it clear that it’s strictly professional.

“I don’t take emotions into the game. When I play, it’s purely professional; strictly business. I’m representing Delhi Capitals now, and my responsibility is to perform for them, the team that has shown faith in me,” he said.

“I had a great time at RCB, and we won the title, but that chapter is over.”

Delhi Capitals has lost two of its four games so far and sits fifth on the points table. But Ngidi, while honest in his assessment, remains optimistic.

“The games we’ve lost have been close, and if we analyse them honestly, there were moments where we let ourselves down. That’s also the positive. If you can identify those mistakes and fix them, you have a good chance in the tournament,” he said.

“I can’t predict the future, but we definitely have the squad to go far.”

Published on Apr 16, 2026