Indian batsman Karun Nair is set to make a comeback to the Northamptonshire county team in April this year after going unsold in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction. Despite Northamptonshire’s unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation from Division 2 last season, Nair’s three matches with innings of 78, 150, and 21 earned him praise from head coach John Sadler, who considers him a valuable asset to the team.

Expressing delight in securing Nair’s return, Sadler commended the batsman’s calmness, temperament, and hunger for runs during the previous season. Nair’s availability for the County Championships was uncertain in December, awaiting a potential IPL auction selection. However, with no IPL takers, he is committed to playing the first seven matches for Northamptonshire in the upcoming season.

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Thrilled about his return, Karun Nair emphasized his excitement to contribute to the team’s success, aiming to secure victories and promote Northamptonshire. Acknowledging the coach and captain for the opportunity, Nair expressed his eagerness to build on his form from the previous season and make a significant impact with the bat.

Notably, Nair will be replaced by Indian teammate Prithvi Shaw in the latter part of the English summer. Shaw, who had a successful stint with Northants last year, missed the season due to an ACL injury.

Karun Nair, having played six Test matches for India, boasts a total of 374 runs at an average of 62.33, with his highest Test career score of 303 achieved in a single match. Once considered a permanent member of the Indian Test team, Nair’s exclusion resulted from a decline in form. His last Test match was against Australia in 2017, and despite strong competition, he has been unable to regain a spot in the Indian team and remains out of consideration by selectors.

On Friday, Lucknow Super Giants’ IPL 2023 campaign suffered a significant setback when their captain, KL Rahul, was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the tournament due to an injury he sustained in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. LSG later around the same time declared his substitution, a previous RCB star, Karun Nair. It was made public on Twitter when LSG shared the popular “Dear Cricket” tweet from the veteran India player.

LSG on Friday revealed that “further tests and scans have unfortunately confirmed a significant tear to Rahul’s tendon which will require surgery.” He was even ruled out of the World Test Championship final against Australia next month at The Oval because of the injury.

Later that same day, they shared Nair’s viral December tweet announcing his selection as Rahul’s season-long replacement. India’s second triple centurion in Test cricket, Nair, had posted on Twitter: After being disqualified from the Ranji Trophy, “Dear Cricket, give me one more chance”

Karun Nair will be playing in his 10th IPL season, in which he has made 76 appearances and scored 1496 runs, including 10 fifties, for four teams

After becoming well known in domestic cricket during 2013, he was picked by the RCB franchise where he played two seasons prior to moving to Rajasthan Royals in 2014. After that, in 2016 and 2017, he played for Delhi Daredevils, which are now known as Delhi Capitals, before switching to the Punjab franchise. He had gotten back to Rajasthan in 2022, however showed up to score only 16 runs prior to being released by the franchise.

The India star has been signed by LSG for INR 50 lakhs.

With five wins in ten matches, LSG currently sits second in the points table with 11 points. After their home match against Chennai Super Kings was postponed due to rain, they lost by one point. On May 7, they will take on the defending champions and reigning champions, the Gujarat Titans, in Ahmedabad.