Sakib Hussain’s mother sold her jewelry to purchase bowling boots for him, and his father is a labourer in Bihar.
After the 21-year-old fast bowler made an immediate impression in the Indian Premier League, their sacrifices—as well as his tears—paid off. In his debut match this month, he took 4/24 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals.
After three games, Hussain is up with the best in the IPL with an economy rate of 7.08 and a frugal average of 14.16 per wicket. Hussain began by using a tennis ball to play cricket in the lanes and uneven fields of Gopalganj, a small Bihar town.
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Stories about Hussain’s mother having to sell her jewelry to pay for her son’s cricket shoes have gone viral. Due to a knee problem, his father had to work as a labourer and earn 200–300 rupees every day to support the little farm that he owned.
Prolific India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was one of Hussain’s first-over wickets.
As Hussain’s bowling action, raw pace, and accuracy started to draw similarities with South Africa’s fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, he earned the moniker “Rabada of Gopalganj” locally.
Hussain’s father was aware that he needed to encourage his son’s cricket aspirations.
“I was a single earner when this trouble (knee pain) came, so I had to think about providing the basic needs like food for the family. At the same time, people told me that my boy bowls very fast, so I told Sakib not to worry about expenses and focus on cricket,” his father was quoted as saying by the media.
Hussain was soon playing for his state squad after being mentored by a local coach.
After being chosen for the National Cricket Academy camp in Bengaluru, Hussain attracted the interest of IPL franchises by participating in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy – the national T20 competition.
In 2024, Hussain was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team that won the title, although he was left out of the pace attack led by Mitchell Starc.
In the December auction for this season, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 edition champions, bought Hussain for his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
“I had tears in my eyes when Hyderabad picked me in the auction. This tells you that if you have self-belief then you can achieve anything. My fight is with myself,” AFP quoted Hussain as saying.
His mother, who was proud of him, remembers the challenges he faced while starting to play cricket.
“He came one day and started crying and said, ‘Mummy, I need spikes (boots). How will I play?'”
