Don't think anyone had Karun Nair in their playing XI predictions for the clash against Mumbai Indians (MI), but cricket always has a way of springing surprises. Handed the opportunity by Delhi Capitals (DC), the seasoned domestic batter made a strong comeback, punishing MI's bowlers with a fearless, free-flowing innings.
Set a daunting target of 206, DC suffered a nightmare start as Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed on the very first ball. Just when things looked shaky, Nair stepped up. Facing some of the league's toughest bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, he launched a counterattack, reaching a blazing half-century in just 22 deliveries.
At the IPL 2025 mega auction, Delhi Capitals secured Karun Nair's services for just INR 50 lakhs — a move that raised few eyebrows at the time but now looks like one of the smartest signings of the season.
Nair's 89-run innings was particularly meaningful, as it ended a long wait for a big score in the IPL. His last fifty came all the way back in 2018 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Although he featured sporadically in the 2019, 2020, and 2022 seasons, he couldn't find much success.?
DC's bold decision to promote him to the No. 3 position paid off brilliantly. He not only steadied the innings but also turned the momentum in DC's favour — at least for a while.
Now after his iconic knock, fans went to X (formerly Twitter) and saw a tweet dated back to December 10, 2022. Karun Nair had posted: "Dear cricket, give me one more chance." At the time, the tweet received mixed reactions, with some trolling him while others offered sympathy.
Fast forward to today — that tweet has resurfaced and gone viral, as fans flooded social media to cheer him on and celebrate his memorable knock against Mumbai Indians. Many even quoted the old post to highlight how far he’s come, proving that sometimes, all a player needs is that one chance.
One said, "JUST STAND & SALUTE TO KARUN NAIR".
Another wrote, "Dear Karun, I didn't need to give you another chance. You made one happen on your own, through your own wondrous bat".
One added, "Sports is not just about entertainment… sometimes it’s Inspirational. bro comes in as an impact player, plays his first match in IPL after 2 years and plays a great knock..! missed his 100 but his conviction was way beyond that..! GG Karun Nair..!"
Another said, "Congratulations Brother. That's u redemption one chance".
One even stated, "No Better Comeback Than This".
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul(w), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Subs: Darshan Nalkande, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Dushmantha Chameera?
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Subs: Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Karn Sharma?
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