It was a night to remember in the Arun Jaitley Stadium as Karun Nair rewound the clock with an aggressive 89 from 40 balls, his first IPL half-century in seven years. As a game-changing replacement, the 33-year-old was on a mission, decimating the bowling attack of the Mumbai Indians (MI) and paving the way for Delhi Capitals' pursuit of 206.

Karun Nair walked in as early as the second ball of the innings following Jake Fraser-McGurk’s golden duck. What unfolded next was a batting masterclass from the right-hander. Facing the formidable Jasprit Bumrah, Nair confidently struck two boundaries in the pacer’s opening over. He then went on a rampage in Bumrah’s next, smashing two massive sixes and collecting 18 runs off it. By the end of the powerplay, Delhi Capitals had raced to 72 runs—largely due to Nair’s explosive start at the crease.

This match marked Karun Nair’s first appearance in the 2025 season, brought in as a replacement for the injured Faf du Plessis. Acquired for ₹50 lakh in the mega auction, the right-hander had spent the first four games on the sidelines before finally getting his opportunity—and he seized it in style. Nair’s blistering innings included 12 boundaries and 5 towering sixes, the highlight being a flicked maximum off Jasprit Bumrah that even earned a slow clap from MI captain Hardik Pandya. Although Nair was eventually dismissed by Mitchell Santner, he had already placed Delhi Capitals in a commanding position.

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Karun Nair's Comeback Story

Once a Test triple-centurion, Karun Nair had faded from the spotlight in recent years. His last IPL half-century came back in 2018, and despite being part of the LSG squad in 2023, he didn’t get a single game. However, his impressive performances on the domestic circuit during the 2024-25 season made a strong case for his return to the big stage.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: 255 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 177

Vijay Hazare Trophy: 779 runs, getting out only once, with a surreal average of 389.50, hitting five hundreds

Ranji Trophy: 863 runs from 16 innings as Vidarbha won the title

It was on 10 December 2022 that Nair tweeted, "Dear cricket, give me one more chance." And it was on this Sunday evening of April 2025 that he grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

THE ICONIC COMEBACK OF KARUN NAIR. 🙇‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/bCene5YI3Q

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 13, 2025

KARUN NAIR SMASHING THE GREATEST BOWLER OF THIS ERA 🥶 pic.twitter.com/xk3a6uRUN3

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 13, 2025

MI Set the Stage With 205/5

Earlier, MI had scored 205/5 after being sent to bat. Tilak Varma's fifty in just 26 balls, Surya Kumar Yadav's elegant 40, and a late burst by Naman Dhir propelled the visitors to a commanding total. Rohit Sharma (18) and Ryan Rickelton (41 off 25) provided MI with a quick start, but Kuldeep Yadav and young Vipraj Nigam brought MI back with key wickets.

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Vipraj was particularly dominant, taking three huge wickets: Rohit, Surya, and Hardik Pandya. DC had MI reeling at 146/4 after 15 overs at one stage. Tilak and Dhir later contributed crucial runs in the death overs to take MI beyond 200.

This tweet from Karun Nair "aged like a fine wine"... Finally he has shown to the world what he is really capable of !. https://t.co/tXYO7YLGis pic.twitter.com/xowl1JLosQ

— 𝙼я.ℓєσ⁰⁷ιѕм🦁 (@Mahi_TheLeo07) April 13, 2025

Nair's thrilling innings went viral on social media. Fans cheered the fairytale return of a player who had waited patiently and worked tirelessly in domestic cricket for two years. His knock also initiated discussions about the need to provide domestic performers with a genuine opportunity in the IPL framework. At the end of the game, DC lost the match and went all-out for 193 in 19 overs.