The Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to unearth new talent. The latest entrant to the growing list over the past 19 years is Bihar’s 21-year-old right-arm paceman Sakib Hussain, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
On Monday night (April 13), IPL debutant Hussain was one of the stars as SRH defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 57 runs. Hussain took 4/24 in four overs. He and another right-arm paceman Praful Hinge (4/34) derailed RR’s run chase of 217 in Hyderabad.
Also read: Praful Hinge’s dream debut powers SRH to 57-run win over RR in IPL
Hussain, who shared the new ball with Hinge, hails from Bihar’s Gopalganj. He came in as an Impact Player, replacing batter Travis Head. He made an immediate impact by removing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck in the second over of the innings. He later added the wickets of Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Mother sells jewellery for shoes
In October 2022, Hussain, as a teenager, made his senior debut, playing for Bihar in T20s. His first-class debut came in October 2024 against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. So far, he has featured in six first-class and 13 T20s.
After his impressive showing against RR, an old video of Hussain, shot by KKR, narrating his life struggles, has gone viral. The video was made during his days at the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was picked by the Kolkata franchise for Rs 20 lakh before IPL 2024 but could not get a game in two seasons. Ahead of IPL 2026, SRH bought Hussain for Rs 30 lakh at the auction.
Also read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi likely to make India debut, break Tendulkar’s record: Report
Son of a farmer, Hussain’s first pair of spike shoes was bought by his mother by selling her jewellery. She spoke of this in the video.
“I’m from Bihar, and my district Gopalganj is about 125 km from Patna. Back home, we don’t really have much. We are farmers. My father used to do farming, but then he developed a knee problem, so I told him he shouldn’t continue anymore,” Sakib said in the video.
“Shoes are very expensive. Proper bowling spikes cost around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. If we spend that much on shoes, then what will we eat?” he added.
“He started crying, saying, ‘Mummy, I don’t have shoes, how will I play?’ We didn’t have that kind of money. I had to sell my jewellery to somehow get him those shoes,” his mother Subuktara Khatoon recalls.
Hussain’s father Ali Ahmed Hussain said, “Now I am the one who has to earn for the family. If I was ill, even arranging a single meal became something we had to think about.”
“There is a ground near us, so he used to go early in the morning for running. Some local coaches noticed him and told him to try cricket,” his father added, recalling the early days of his son’s cricket career.
Tennis-ball cricket
Like many in India, Hussain’s cricket too started with a tennis ball. He used to travel long to earn through cricket.
“I used to play tennis-ball cricket, earning Rs 500, 600, 700, and sometimes even Rs 2,000 if I travelled about 150 km to play. From that point, I made up my mind that I had to pursue cricket,” he said.
Hussain wanted to join the Army, but circumstances drove him to play tennis-ball cricket.
SRH’s bowling coach Varun Aaron lauded both Hussain and Hinge after the match. “My only plan for them was to just enjoy the game because you debut only once in any format of cricket. Considering where they’ve come from, what they’ve done today is massive, and you’ve just got to enjoy it. My only plea before the game was that if I didn’t see them enjoying it, I’d be really angry, and they truly did enjoy it. We all did,” he said.
