Delhi Capitals found a new gem in the form of Karun Nair. Into the team due to the absence of Faf du Plessis as an Impact Player, Karun made the most of the opportunity given to him by the management, as he slammed 89 runs in his maiden outing of the campaign. Though the knock couldn’t take DC over the line against Mumbai Indians, Karun managed to secure his place in the team for the next matches to come. However, it might not have been possible had the veteran batter not persuaded his coach Hemang Badani for a place in the team.

“This lad has not played the IPL in the last three years. He’s only got 9 First-Class hundreds this year. He was itching for a chance. Waiting to get into the park. He has been bothering me ‘When am I going to get a game? Will I get this one?’ Even in the nets, he kept asking Can I have a little more time in the middle? ‘” Badani said ahead of Delhi’s clash against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025.

Nair, who came into the IPL side on the back of a stupendous show in the domestic spectrum, lit up the entire stadium with his exquisite T20 cricket strokeplay. The manner in which he hit Mumbai Indians bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah all across the park, left everyone stunned.

“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,” Nair told the media after the match against MI.

“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,” Nair added.

“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,” Nair said.