By Robert 
Jasprit Bumrah rarely shows emotion on the field, but on Sunday, Karun Nair forced even the ice-cool pacer to crack. Back in the IPL after a staggering 1,077 days, Karun didn’t just make a quiet return — he roared back with a statement knock that reminded everyone, especially the Delhi Capitals and the selectors, of his undoubted class.
Facing Bumrah, the league’s most lethal weapon, Karun unleashed a trio of audacious shots that few have dared. In the final over of the PowerPlay, he nonchalantly flicked Bumrah over deep backward square for an 83-metre six — the longer boundary, no less. Even Hardik Pandya couldn’t help but applaud. What followed was a deft slice through backward point for four, and then, the pièce de résistance: an elegant inside-out loft over long-off off a slower delivery, holding the pose with a hint of swagger.
Karun plundered 26 runs off just nine deliveries against Bumrah, who conceded 29 in his opening two-over spell — a rare sight in the IPL. After Karun brought up a 22-ball fifty, Bumrah, clearly rattled, had a few words for the batter after a mid-pitch bump during a brace. Mumbai Indians were running out of options, and Karun was in complete control.
Coming in on just the second ball of DC’s chase of 206, Karun owned the first hour of play, batting 59 of the first 60 minutes and scoring 89 off 40 balls. For a while, it felt like nothing could stop Delhi from extending their unbeaten IPL 2025 run to 5-0. That they eventually lost by 12 runs was almost irrelevant in the context of Karun’s spectacular individual comeback.
What makes this innings even more remarkable is that Karun wasn’t even DC’s first choice. When Faf du Plessis missed a game earlier this season, Sameer Rizvi was picked ahead of him. Even this time, Rizvi’s name appeared first in the Impact Sub list. Despite a chart-topping domestic season, Karun had to wait for four games before finally getting a shot.
Signed for just ₹50 lakh in the mega auction after a brief tug-of-war with RCB, Karun was the top-scorer in the 2024 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 779 runs, including five centuries, at a strike rate of 124. He followed it with 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy for champions Vidarbha, averaging nearly 54. In T20s, his 255 runs in six SMAT innings came at a blistering strike rate of 177.08. In the Maharaja Trophy, Karnataka’s local T20 league, he scored 560 runs at 181.82 — second only to Abhinav Manohar in strike rate among the top 10 run-getters.
Despite having only six IPL innings in his last three seasons before going unsold, Karun’s domestic T20 numbers showed a batter evolving — with strike rates of 152.44 in 2023 and 177.08 in 2024, his power game had finally caught up with his classical technique.
What changed for Delhi to not only sub him in but promote him to one-down ahead of a red-hot KL Rahul remains unclear. But Karun had been quietly preparing. On the eve of DC’s first home game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, he stayed back for an optional net session, launching spinners into the stands long after the main batters had finished.
“Mentally, I was always ready,” Karun said after the match. “I’ve played in the IPL before. It was about giving myself time, getting used to the speed of the game again, and then trusting my shots.”
There were no signs of nerves. Just the quiet assurance of a man who had waited too long to let this chance slip.
Back in December 2022, after yet another snub from India’s selectors, Karun had tweeted a heartfelt plea for “one more chance.” The IPL finally offered that chance — and he seized it with both hands. In doing so, he’s not just reminded the national selectors of his underutilized potential but has also thrown the Delhi Capitals management into a selection dilemma.
In a cricketing landscape overflowing with young talent, second chances are rare. But Karun Nair’s story is a reminder that with persistence, preparation, and a little patience — comebacks aren’t just possible, they can be spectacular.