Sakib Hussain

Born in Gopalganj, Bihar, Sakib Hussain comes from a humble background. His father is a labourer. Sakib plays for Bihar as a right-arm medium-fast bowler.

While Sakib's struggle to make it to the top level was inundated with financial constraints, he was devoted towards cricket from a very young age.

The Bihar prodigy had the Minz Stadium as his go-to hangout place, spending his time watching cricket matches. 

His first big opportunity came in 2021 when he played for Gaya Gladiators in the Bihar Cricket League. Soon after, he played in a U-19 tournament in Chandigarh.

Sakib was also picked for the High-Performance Camp organised by the BCCI. 

The Bihar quick made his domestic debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022. After a disappointing maiden outing against Andhra Pradesh, he came back well in the tournament, bagging a four-for versus Gujarat.

This brought him to the attention of many Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. Chennai Super Kings roped him in as their net bowler for IPL 2023, and he bowled to MS Dhoni in the practice sessions.

In the IPL 2024 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders snapped him for INR 20 lakh.

From having no shoes for practice to getting an IPL contract, Sakib's story is one for the ages.

(As of March 2024)