New Delhi, Dec 19 : Former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund hailed Auqib Dar's long-awaited break on the Indian Premier League (IPL) stage after the Jammu and Kashmir pacer bagged an Rs 8.40 crore deal from Delhi Capitals in the mini-auction held recently.

Mukund said Delhi Capitals needed someone to open bowling alongside veteran Australian pacer Mitchell Starc in their squad in the upcoming IPL, and Auqib is the opening bowling option DC was looking for.

Starting at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, Auqib sparked an intense bidding war between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers, but the 29-year-old pacer from Baramulla was snapped up by DC.

"I am very happy for Auqib Dar. He has played for a long time for Jammu and Kashmir and finally gets a chance on this big stage. Delhi Capitals needed powerplay bowling options. Some people question his death bowling, but he will learn at a tough ground like Delhi.

"After last year's issues with Natarajan's injury, they went for multiple pacers. They needed someone to open the bowling with Mitchell Starc. That is the role they see for him at Delhi Capitals, which is a heartwarming story," he said.

A consistent wicket-taker across formats in domestic cricket over the past few seasons, Auqib is primarily a swing bowler. Recently, however, the Jammu & Kashmir bowler has added new dimensions to his gameâ??most notably improved death-overs skillsâ??which have significantly boosted his value.

Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal said they needed someone who swings the ball, and Auqib is the "perfect candidate to play that role".

"We needed someone who swings the ball and gets early breakthroughs, and we found Auqib Dar as the perfect candidate to play that role, and that's the reason why we tracked him throughout the entirety of the current domestic cricket season. He is an exciting talent, and we went all out for him. We are really happy to get a player from Jammu and Kashmir," Jindal said.

/IANS