Karun Nair: Three years in exile, three shots that screamed 'I still belong'

Jasprit Bumrah rarely seems fazed by anything, but Sunday was an exception. Not since Faf du Plessis in 2021 has a batter hit Bumrah for more than one six in an IPL over. Filling the void left by South African's injury-forced absence in the Delhi Capitals line-up as an Impact Sub, and back in the IPL after 1077 days, Karun Nair even earned a nod from the opponent captain while at it.

It was the last over of PowerPlay. Karun had already begun to get on Bumrah's nerves with two off-side fours in an 11-run opening over from the Mumbai Indians pacer. This time, Karun picked him up off a length and flicked him nonchalantly over deep backward square - the longer of the two square boundaries - for an 83-metre six. Among those applauding was a certain Hardik Pandya as he watched the ball being fetched from the crowd. Bumrah missed nailing a rare yorker next, and the Karnataka batter sliced it through to the backward point fence for four more. The best of the lot, though, was the audacious inside-out loft over long-off for half-a-dozen off a slower one with a hint of smirk as he held his pose. Bumrah has outfoxed the best of the best with his slower ones, but Karun Nair - having earned his second wind in the IPL - was a man on a mission in Delhi.

Bumrah leaked 29 runs in his opening spell of two overs with Karun alone plundering 26 off just nine deliveries. Rarely has Bumrah been treated this contemptuously, and in the strategic time-out that followed Karun's 22-ball fifty on his IPL comeback, the MI pacer had an earful for the batter who had bumped into him fetching the brace to the milestone. Bumrah was rattled, and so were Mumbai - admittedly "running out of options" against Karun's near-perfect execution throughout his 40-ball 89.

Karun batted 59 minutes of the first hour of Delhi Capitals' chase of 206, coming on the very second ball of the innings as he did, and not for a moment during his fearless hitting in the middle did any other result seem possible than the hosts extending their unbeaten streak to 5/5 in IPL 2025. But the 33-year-old wasn't the Capitals' first-choice in the XII.

Sameer Rizvi had gotten the nod ahead of Karun in the one game du Plessis previously missed due to the injury. KL Rahul and Abishek Porel had alternatively been promoted as openers in the two games the South African missed. Like in Chennai, Rizvi's name appeared ahead of Karun's in DC's listed Impact Subs on Sunday as well. Karun's wait for a comeback game, after two seasons outside the IPL circles, had stretched to four games despite the phenomenal chart-topping domestic season he had had across formats.

Bought at a mere INR 50 lakh in the mega auction after a brief counter-bid above base price from RCB, Karun was the leading scorer in the 2024 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 779 runs, including five century knocks, at a strike-rate of 124. A consistent run in the Ranji Trophy saw him stack up 863 runs for Champions Vidarbha at an average of 53.94. In the shortest format, at the Syed Mushtaq Ali, his 255 runs in six innings came at a strike-rate of 177.08 while in the inaugural Maharaja Trophy - KSCA's local T20 league - he topped the table with a haul of 560 runs at a strike-rate of 181.82 that was bettered only by Abhinav Manohar (194.35) among the top-ten run-getters.

Across his last three IPL seasons prior to being left out, Karun had only had six batting opportunities and he totalled 38 runs. But over the last couple of T20 domestic seasons - the two years he was without an IPL home - his strike-rates had consistently spiked, crossing 150 for the first time since 2018 with 152.44 in 2023 and the 177.08 last SMAT. Now with a statement knock on IPL comeback, irrespective of the result of the game, Karun's put his best foot forward to earn a shot at resurrecting that India career that derailed many years ago for little fault of his own.

Karun chose not to reveal exactly what prompted the move from DC to not just sub him in but also promote him at one-down ahead of the man in red-hot form, Rahul. But with clouds of uncertainty over du Plessis' match-fitness, Karun kept diligently "following his processes" on the sidelines, awaiting his chance. On the eve of DC's first home game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the batter had a lengthy range-hitting session in the nets against the spinners in an optional session - once the frontline batters had wrapped up - tonking a few downtown that happened to be the shortest boundary then.

"Look, obviously, we lost an important player in Faf, and we always knew - the few of us batters who are sitting outside who should be and have to be ready at any given time," Karun said after DC's dramatic 12-run loss despite the blazing launchpad he provided. "So, mentally, I was ready, and obviously looking forward to the chance, whenever it came.

"I felt confident. I felt like, you know, I'm well prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity. So it was all about me preparing the way that I've been all through the season and waiting for my chance. So I was doing my bit to prepare and be ready for the game. It's always a tough call for the team to pick 11 or 12 players, and I've always respected that. For me, it was about preparing and keeping the same process that I followed, which has worked for me, and just being ready to go out there and perform for the team."

There were no butterflies even after all those seasons off the IPL arena. "Honestly, I had the confidence that I've played [IPL] before and I know how it's going to be, and it's nothing different that I'm going to be facing anything new. So, but in my mind, it was just about going out there and giving myself a few balls and just getting used to the speed of the game again and the atmosphere. So I just told myself, 'give yourself the time, play normal shots and then, you know, improvise when needed'. Fortunately, everything came off, and I'm happy that I batted well. But again, I would have loved that if the team had gone on to win."

Back in December 2022, after being overlooked for India selection for the umpteenth time and falling out of favour with the Karnataka selectors as well, Karun publicly pleaded for 'one more chance'. When the IPL finally granted him his wish, albeit belatedly, he grabbed it with both hands to not just send national selectors a cold reminder of his underutilised potential but also throw the DC think-tank in a selection dilemma. Second chances are rare to come by amidst a talent pool as wide as in Indian cricket, but Karun with his perseverance has shown that age is just a number.