Cricket

Karun Nair’s explosive IPL comeback in vain as MI end DC’s streak

Delhi Capitals squandered the chance to extend their unbeaten streak in IPL 2025 to five wins, but the wicket of comeback hero Karun Nair triggered a dramatic collapse of five wickets in six overs before a hat-trick of run-outs handed Mumbai Indians their second win in six matches. 

Chasing a target of 206 in their first home game this season, the Capitals were on course thanks to Nair’s 40-ball 90, but his dismissal to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner triggered the hosts’ collapse to 193 all out, with the last three wickets all run-outs in a bizarre end to the match. 

This loss, coming after four successive victories, leaves DC at second place on the points table behind Gujarat Titans, who also have eight points but have played one match more. 

Nair’s return to an IPL 11 came after 1077 days, and his 22-ball half-century was his first in the league since 2018. A gap of 2520 days between IPL fifties now stands as the longest in the tournament’s 18-year history. He got his chance via Faf du Plessis’ absence and was brought in as the Impact Player for the chase, and marked his intentions immediately on arrival to the crease for the second ball once Jake Fraser-McGurk was out for a golden duck.

Nair’s takedown of MI spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was stunning. In nine balls bowled to Nair, Bumrah conceded 26 runs. The horse had bolted, and Nair proceeded to bat with a perfect blend of class and aggression – his shots on the offside were orthodox – to keep DC in the hunt. Nair added 119 for the second wicket with Abhishek Porel, who made 33, but a ball change during the chase brought MI right back into the game. 

Karn Sharma, the legspinner whom MI used as their Impact Player, grabbed three wickets for 36 runs in his four overs, while Santner had Nair bowled on 89 and then added Vipraj Nigam. 

It came down to 23 runs from 12 balls with three wickets remaining, but Ashutosh Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohit Sharma were run out off the last three deliveries of the 19th over. 

Earlier, Tilak Varma scored 59 off 33 balls to finally get a half-century in an MI win. Helped by handy knocks from Ryan Rickleton (41) and Suryakumar Yadav (40), the visiting team smoother over another failure from Rohit Sharma (18) to post 205 after Axar Patel won the toss and chose to field. 

To be honest, MI looked set for a bigger total before Kuldeep dismissed Rickleton and Surya, but Tilak’s innings and a valuable 38* off 17 balls from Naman Dhir ended up giving them a winning score. 

About the Author


Written by Jamie Alter

Jamie Alter is a sports journalist, author, commentator, anchor, actor, and YouTuber who has covered multiple cricket World Cups and other major sporting events while working with ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz, Network 18, the Zee Group and as Digital Sports Editor of the Times of India. Follow Jamie on Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

Related Post
Share
Published by
Jamie Alter

Recent Posts

India Falls to Chile in Shootout After 2–2 Draw at Four Nations Junior Women’s Hockey Tournament

The Indian junior women’s hockey team suffered a narrow defeat against Chile in a tense… Read More

May 30, 2025

Shreyas Iyer’s Misjudged Aggression Costs Punjab Kings in Qualifier Blowout

Punjab Kings’ journey to the IPL 2025 final suffered a massive blow after a disappointing… Read More

May 30, 2025

Harry Maguire Hopes to See Indian Talent in Premier League, Backs Grassroots Football Initiatives

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has expressed optimism about the future of Indian football, stating… Read More

May 30, 2025

Salt’s blazing fifty helps RCB crush PBKS in record-breaking playoff win

Nine years after their last appearance in an IPL final, Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the… Read More

May 30, 2025

Josh Hazlewood opens up on playing in IPL before WTC Final, says he is got to be bowling

Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has said playing in the IPL is not… Read More

May 30, 2025