On December 10, 2022, Karun Nair tweeted a simple, heartfelt plea: “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.” Two weeks later, the IPL auction came and went, and no team raised their paddle.

Karun Nair

The man who once scored a triple hundred in Test cricket, only the second Indian ever to do so, was left out in the cold again. Fast forward to IPL 2025, and that chance finally arrived.

What is Karun Nair's price at the IPL 2025 auction?

Delhi Capitals picked him up for INR 50 lakh at the mega-auction, more out of strategy than sentiment. Most fans shrugged it off and thought that it was another backup “maybe.” For the first four games, he warmed the bench.

And then, on a Sunday night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Karun Nair showed up. Not as a relic of the past. Not as a sympathy pick, but as a man who had waited years to remind the world what he could do, and he did.

Subbed in as an Impact Player chasing a whopping target of 206 against Mumbai Indians, Nair walked in early, in the second ball of the innings after Fraser-McGurk fell for a duck. What followed was nothing short of a cricketing resurrection.

He didn’t just steady the ship. He took over and pitched in with 89 off 40 balls, including a flurry of 12 fours and five massive sixes at a strike rate of 222.50. This innings had the confidence of a man who knew he might not get another chance and was going to make damn sure this one counted.

Yes, Delhi lost the game by 12 runs. But let’s be realistic. Without Karun, they wouldn’t have even made it close. He was the lone spark in a chase that nearly turned heroic. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals are second on the table with four wins and a defeat. They will play against Rajasthan Royals in the next game on April 16, Wednesday.