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Delhi Capitals (DC) rewarded Karun Nair with another match for his heroic batting in the IPL 2025 against Mumbai Indians (MI). DC included Karun Nair in their playing XI in the clash against Rajasthan Royals on April 16.
Despite entering the tournament on the heels of a successful domestic cricket season, Karun Nair initially found it challenging to break into DC's playing eleven. He spent the first four matches on the sidelines before an injury to Faf du Plessis created an opening for him in the lineup. Nair's opportunity to play an IPL match finally arrived when he was selected for DC's game against MI. Marking his first IPL appearance since 2022, he seized the moment impressively, smashing a half-century off just 22 balls and putting his team in a commanding position.
He went on to score a lightning 40-ball 89, although Delhi ultimately fell short, losing the match by 12 runs while chasing a target of 206. Following his impactful innings against Mumbai, Nair has maintained his place in the team for Delhi's sixth game of the season against RR. Prior to this match, he spoke with the official broadcasters, expressing his happiness regarding his memorable return to the IPL.
"Amazing to get an opportunity, get a 50. Very happy to have them (his parents) here as well. They are here again, hopefully I can perform once again," said Karun Nair before the DC versus RR match.
Karun Nair opens up on how he attacked Jasprit Bumrah in DC vs MI clash
Reflecting on his performance in the previous match, Karun Nair also opened up on his strategy for facing Jasprit Bumrah. Their contest on the field proved to be a captivating spectacle. While Nair appeared confident and in good form from the outset, few anticipated him aggressively attacking arguably the world's premier fast bowler in his first IPL game since 2022.
However, the right-handed batsman trusted his abilities, and his approach yielded positive results. When Bumrah was brought into the attack for the fourth over, Karun Nair greeted him with two consecutive boundaries. Bumrah also bowled the final over of the powerplay, and Nair continued his aggressive approach, scoring 18 runs off the Indian pace spearhead. This onslaught included two well-executed sixes, a boundary, and a two, which also propelled Nair to a rapid half-century in just 22 balls.
"I wasn’t targeting any player specifically. Was just looking to attack and play. I had the complete freedom and confidence of the dressing room," Nair added.
Talking about Nair's performance in the match against RR, he had to return to the pavilion without opening his account as Wanindu Hasaranga ran him out on duck in the 4th over. As of nine over DC are placed at 69/2 after put to bat first.
Rajasthan Royals' Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Nitish Rana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore
Delhi Capitals' Playing XI:
Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma
Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay
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