Karun Nair has made a comeback in the IPL after three years. This year, he was picked up by Delhi Capitals for his base price of 50 lakhs. He has been a consistent part of the DC XI in the last few games.
Karun Nair caught the limelight by scoring 89 runs off 40 balls against the Mumbai Indians earlier in the season. Though the knock came in a losing cause, Karun's form with the bat caught everyone's attention.
The former Karnataka cricketer took a special liking to Jasprit Bumrah in that game as he scored 26 runs against him in just nine balls. That knock prompted people to talk about his return to the Indian cricket team once again.
However, in the recently released list of centrally contracted players by BCCI, Karun Nair's name was excluded once again. With India to play England in a Test series starting on June 20, there have been talks about Nair's recall to the Indian team. He last played for India in 2017 and was dropped from the side after he scored a triple hundred against India.
After he scored 89 against MI, Karun Nair scored a duck against RR in the next game. Against GT, he scored 31 runs off 18 balls, and against LSG, he scored 15 runs off nine balls.
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Commentating on the match between DC and LSG, Suresh Raina spoke about Karun Nair's snub from the Indian team after 2017. Anil Kumble, who was the other commentator on the panel, was the head coach of the Indian cricket team back then.
“Dropped from the Indian team, IPL and Karnataka team but still made a comeback and is now playing for Delhi Capitals. If any young player is feeling bad after getting dropped from the team, he should follow Karun Nair. How can you drop a player after scoring a 300?” said Raina.
Anil Kumble's Blunt Response To Suresh Raina On Karun Nair's Snub From Indian Team After 2017
Visibly irked by Raina's words, Anil Kumble explained in detail what the reason was behind Karun Nair's exclusion from the Indian side after his knock against England. He said that Nair was dropped from the squad as he did not score runs in the Test series against Australia. Then it was Hanuma Vihari who replaced him in the side that traveled to England in 2018.
“Karun Nair played against Australia but didn’t score runs. I was Team India’s coach then. He went to England with the Indian team. However, Hanuma Vihari, who was also a part of the team, scored runs and this is why Karun Nair went out of the Indian team. However, credit to Karun for his determination and this is how you make a comeback,” Anil Kumble said.
Since that knock against MI, Nair has scored just 46 runs in the next three innings. Overall, the right-hander has scored 135 runs in four games at an average of 33.75 and a strike rate of 192.86. DC is placed second on the IPL 2025 points table at the start of the second half of the season.
Also Read: IPL 2025: "No Value If My Team Can't Win" - Karun Nair On His 40-Ball 89 Against Mumbai Indians
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