Karun Nair makes stunning IPL return with blazing fifty against Mumbai
After nearly three years away from the Indian Premier League, Karun Nair finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for — and he made it count. On Sunday evening, the 33-year-old Delhi batter delivered a powerful reminder of his talent, smashing a brilliant 89 runs against Mumbai in a high-stakes chase at the IPL.
This wasn’t just any innings. It came from a player whose last IPL appearance felt like a lifetime ago. In fact, it was late 2022 when Nair had posted a heartfelt plea on social media, asking cricket for “one more chance.” That post resurfaced across platforms on Sunday, as fans watched him light up the ground with clean, confident strokeplay.
Delhi’s run chase began on a rocky note, with opener Jake Fraser-McGurk dismissed on the very first ball. That brought Nair into the spotlight as the team’s Impact Player, replacing Mukesh Kumar. Calm and composed, Nair got going with a couple of well-timed boundaries and then took on none other than Jasprit Bumrah — considered by many to be the best bowler across formats — smashing him for two sixes in the same over.
His fifty came up in just 22 balls, a mix of power and precision that had the Delhi dugout on its feet. “I felt confident. I felt like I’m well prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity,” Nair said after the match. “It’s not easy for the team management to decide the playing XI every game, but I’ve always respected those calls.”
Although his innings of 89 off 40 balls couldn’t steer Delhi to a win — it was their first loss of the season — it was a personal victory for Nair, who had been waiting patiently for this moment.
A veteran of six Test matches and two ODIs for India, Nair is still remembered for his unbeaten triple century against England in Chennai back in 2016. Yet, despite that feat, he was dropped from the playing XI once Ajinkya Rahane returned from injury, and his career never quite regained its upward trajectory.
Over the years, Nair moved between multiple IPL franchises including Bangalore, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Punjab but struggled to leave a lasting impact. By 2022, after playing just three games for the Rajasthan Royals, it seemed his IPL days were behind him.
When he was not picked for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, many believed his time had come and gone. But Nair refused to give up. He worked hard in domestic cricket, consistently scoring for his state team, which eventually earned him a fresh opportunity with Delhi for IPL 2025.
On Sunday, it looked as though he had never left.
“In my mind, I just wanted to go out there, face a few deliveries, get a feel for the pace of the game and soak in the atmosphere,” Nair explained. “I reminded myself to play my natural shots and improvise only when necessary.”
Though Delhi couldn’t pull off the win, Nair’s comeback story provided one of the most emotional moments of the IPL season so far. “Fortunately, everything clicked today. I’m happy with how I batted, but I would have been even happier if we had won the match,” he added.
For now, Karun Nair’s comeback innings is doing all the talking — a performance that might just open the door for more opportunities and perhaps even a new chapter in his career.
