Sakib Hussain's rise from tennis-ball cricket to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026

At 21, Sakib Hussain moved from earning Rs 300-500 in tennis-ball games to playing regular IPL cricket with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026.

Early struggles shaped his career For Sakib, now 21, those earnings were vital. A single tennis-ball match earned him between Rs 300 and 500, roughly US$5, which supported a household relying on his father’s daily wages. Two IPL stints later—first with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and now as a regular with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026—the financial weight has lifted, though those tough days remain a lesson in his progress. It was in those unpredictable tennis-ball matches where Sakib developed the pace that defines his bowling today. ## Robin Singh spotted raw talent early Robin Singh, a state coach in Bihar who mentors Sakib and shares a close bond, recalls how Sakib was nicknamed Gopalganj’s Rabada. The bond is so strong that Sakib wears jersey No. 18 as a tribute to Robin’s birth date. Robin first heard of Sakib in 2018 when Sakib was just 14. His nephew told him, 'Chacha, I have a friend. He's quick, but only plays tennis-ball cricket. With proper guidance, he'll become excellent.' ## Unorthodox action caught coach’s eye Intrigued, Robin invited Sakib to train at an academy in Patna’s Anisabad area. There, he saw a lean, erratic fast bowler with an unconventional action. Robin admitted, 'If these were state trials, maybe I wouldn't have shown that much interest.' Yet his instincts insisted Sakib was special. The ball kept skidding through even on slow pitches, reaching batters quickly. Robin believes while discipline and consistency can be taught, natural pace and skid like Sakib’s are rare. ## Financial hurdles delayed formal training Robin offered free practice, but Sakib declined, later telling the nephew he couldn’t afford living costs in Patna. He returned to Gopalganj. When the nephew shared this, Robin replied, 'We'll find a way.' In 2019, a new facility opened in Gopalganj, set up by the late Tunna Giri, then-president of the district cricket association and a longtime cricket patron in the region. Tunna happened to be a close family friend of Robin’s. Robin told Sakib, 'Now you don’t need to go anywhere. Train here.' But he set one condition: stop playing tennis-ball cricket. Whatever challenges arose, he should share them directly. Tunna Giri and his brother Kumar Giri also pledged financial support. ## Breakthrough in 2020 changed fortunes By mid-2020, signs of improvement were visible compared to a year earlier, though convincing selectors remained difficult. Robin advocated for him but faced dismissive responses like, 'Arre, wohi bowler na? Jo dusre net pe ball phenkta hai?' Sakib’s hyperextended elbow resembled Jasprit Bumrah’s. Biomechanically, his wrist action and energy transfer aligned with modern fast bowling despite being shaped entirely by tennis-ball cricket. ## BCL debut marked turning point in 2021 A major opportunity arrived with the Bihar Cricket League launch. At 10 pm the night before final team selections, Robin told state coach Ashok Kumar, 'If this boy turns out bad, I’ll stop coming to Patna for coaching.' Ashok had asked Robin for names to recommend to BCL teams, and Sakib was chosen for Gaya Gladiators. Though exciting for Robin, Sakib hesitated—not out of reluctance but because he lacked funds to travel to Patna. Robin and others arranged his train ticket and kit. Robin recalls, 'Later I found out a tennis-ball match was scheduled and he was going to earn Rs 500.' He had to stress that BCL was a big chance and could change his life. ## BCL performances silenced skeptics quickly Sakib joined and within two sessions, even skeptics took notice. The tone shifted from asking about his origins to begging him not to bowl in nets. 'Reserve your pace for the opposition and spare our own batters,' they said. His reputation as a fiery quick grew further during a late-2021 age-group tournament in Delhi. On a pitch offering little to fast bowlers, Sakib unleashed full pace. Robin notes he took 20 wickets in four matches while the next-best fast bowler managed only five. ## National exposure followed strong showings These performances caught the eye of S Sharath, chairman of the junior selection panel. Sakib was selected for a zonal camp at the National Cricket Academy, where former India pacer Tinu Yohannan became his mentor. He then trained at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai and served as a net bowler for Chennai Super Kings during the 2022 IPL. Later that season, he debuted for Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, claiming 4 for 20 in the final league game against Gujarat. Robin recalls, 'Batters were repeatedly rushed into their strokes, playing pull shots that ended up going to point or short third.' ## Injury derailed IPL 2023 plans Sakib’s strong start in senior cricket should have paved the way to IPL 2023. A knee injury, however, ended those hopes. Without it, he might have been signed by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for Mukesh Choudhary. Instead, he returned to rebuilding his career from scratch. ## KKR opportunity arose through commentary network in 2024 In late 2023, Robin joined JioHotstar as a commentator for the Bhojpuri feed and spoke with several IPL franchise scouts, including Abhishek Nayar, then KKR’s assistant coach. During their talk, Nayar casually asked how quick Sakib was. Robin replied, 'Very quick. Look him up.' Nayar cross-checked with NCA, reviewed Mushtaq Ali footage, called Sakib for trials, and he performed well. That’s how Sakib earned a spot with KKR for the 2024 season. ## IPL debut featured key dismissals but limited game time In practice matches, Sakib dismissed Andre Russell and Manish Pandey. In one contest, needing to defend 21 off 12 balls, Sakib and Mitchell Starc were assigned death bowling duties. Sakib conceded just six runs in the 19th over. Despite strong performances, game opportunities were scarce. Starc, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Arora were all excelling in a season where KKR went on to win their third title. Sakib was lined up for a potential debut against CSK in Chennai, but early wickets led KKR to use Anukul Roy as their Impact Sub instead. Robin reflected, 'Maybe it was just meant to be that his debut would come later, in a bigger way.' ## Release and setback delayed 2025 comeback After missing 2024 action as debut loomed, Sakib was released by KKR ahead of the new auction cycle. A fresh injury in 2025 meant no franchise picked him up in the auction. He then moved to Lucknow—Robin’s new base—lived with him, and trained during the off-season. There, they set a clear target: IPL 2026. ## Varun Aaron’s mentorship reshaped his bowling Around this time, Varun Aaron, SRH’s current fast-bowling coach, began playing a key role after hearing about Sakib from peers at the MRF Pace Foundation, where Aaron had been a trainee. Aaron recognized raw potential that needed direction. Robin noted, 'Varun bhai had already heard about him and seen some videos. But when he saw him properly, he understood what he could become.' Aaron’s mentorship proved transformative. He understood biomechanics and modern fast bowling exceptionally well. Robin added, 'When I speak to him, I feel he's next to no one in that space among young Indian coaches.' ## Focused training prioritized recovery and control Aaron did not try to overhaul Sakib’s action, which might have diluted his natural strengths. Instead, training became more purposeful, emphasizing load management, recovery cycles, and incremental gains over constant high-intensity work. Aaron stayed in regular contact, tracking progress, offering remote inputs during busy periods, and arranging access to other training environments when needed. When Aaron was tied up with broadcast duties for the T20 World Cup earlier this year, he sent Sakib to Jharkhand’s former senior fast-bowling colleague, SS Rao, in Bhubaneswar with a customized program. ## Modern bowling range reflects humble roots Despite the structured approach now shaping his cricket, traces of his beginnings in the wheat fields remain. His skidding pace, sharp bouncers, and fearless approach persist—like last weekend in Jaipur, where he targeted Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with short balls. In this year’s IPL, Sakib has delivered spells that hurried batters and used variations as deceptive as his stock ball. On debut, he claimed 4 for 24 against Rajasthan Royals again, including three wickets off slower deliveries. ## Coach praises his evolving arsenal in 2026 Varun Aaron highlighted Sakib’s growth after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Delhi Capitals last week, where Sakib returned figures of 1 for 29 despite an average economy rate nearing 11. 'With Sakib, that slow ball is just brilliant,' Aaron said. 'He's getting almost as much turn as an offspinner on that slower ball. Same arm speed, executes his yorkers, and can bowl 140-plus as well. With the way the game is headed, you need that range, you have to be able to go from 140-145 down to almost 107.' ## Final push toward IPL 2026 destiny That versatility, once on display in Gopalganj’s wheat fields, is now being refined under structured guidance. Sakib’s journey is far from over. Somewhere in his run-up still lives the boy who once chose between Rs 500 from a tennis-ball game and a shot at something greater. Now, he runs toward it without hesitation, carrying nothing but ambition.