Cricket Acknowledges the Talent of Karun Nair; The Man who Deserves One More Chance
Cricket is funny game. It makes one laugh with its unpredictable timing and unexpected twists.
“Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”
This viral tweet was posted by an experienced batsman, Karun Nair in December 2022. At this point Nair was probably at his lowest phase as a cricketer. He was a Test-match triple-centurion and then suddenly not a part of the playing squad post this huge figure. He was left out of his national and state team, across formats.
Come 2025, and Karun makes a comeback of sorts as an Impact Player during the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals match on April 13, Sunday. This appearance was during the ongoing Indian Premier League edition, for his team Delhi Capitals, who sealed his name for INR 50 lakhs in the mega auction.
After a long gap of 1077 days, Nair played an IPL match and left the audiences shocked with his jaw-dropping batting. He smashed Jasprit Bumrah for 18 runs in an over, racing away to a 22-ball half-century, his fastest fifty to date.
Jasprit Bumrah, rarely ever fazed by any batsman opposite him, saw an exception in this encounter. As an Impact Sub, Nair showed his class and confidence during his 1st game of this season and even earned a nod from the opponent captain while at it. He hit two boundaries off Bumrah’s first over before thrashing him for two sixes and 18 runs in his second over. Nair’s explosive innings powered DC to 72 runs in the powerplay alone.
His excellent form during the domestic cricket season seemed to have translated into the biggest T20 league in the world, creating a frenzy on social media with his admirable knock. Taking down arguably the best bowler in the world, Bumrah is a special feeling in itself, something that came out of syllabus for Jasprit and his team.
Bumrah has taken on the best of the best with his slower ones, but Karun Nair – having earned his second birth in the IPL – was a man on a mission in Delhi. He gave away 29 runs in his opening spell of two overs, with Karun alone scoring 26 off just nine deliveries.
Rarely has the ‘boom boom’ Bumrah magic been repudiated, with Karun’s near-perfect execution throughout his 40-ball 89. Playing his first IPL game in nearly three years, he scored his first IPL half-century in nearly seven years, the longest gap between IPL fifties for any player in the history of the tournament.
Nair never left working on his skill, had the constant belief that he could make a comeback one day and made the most of the situation when his team needed him to rise to the occasion. Even though the result was not in DC’s stride, Karun’s masterclass performance is a testament to the faith he had in himself to prove his mettle as a cricketer.
Once a captain of the same Delhi franchise years ago, he just disappeared out of nowhere and then came back after a fabulous domestic tenure during the 2024-25 season, taking his team Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy title almost single-handedly.
After being overlooked for India selection and falling out with the state selectors as well, he grabbed the playing chance handed over in IPL, with both hands to not just send national selectors a loud reminder of his potential.
Second chances are rare to come by in a setting as wide as in Indian cricket, but Karun Nair with his effort proved that age is certainly just a number.
