Karun Nair Reveals Why He Opted To Move To Vidarbha

Ahead of the 2023 Indian domestic season, Karun Nair made the high-profile switch from Karnataka to Vidarbha, seeking a better opportunity. Over the next two years, not only did Nair make an instant impact for Vidarbha but also emerged as their biggest asset, with 1553 runs at the Ranji Trophy level. 

It was in the 2024/25 edition where the right-hander took his red-ball game to the next level, smashing 863 runs, averaging 53.94, with two half-centuries and four centuries. But how did Nair’s switch to Vidarbha happen in the first place? 

“In that phase, I hadn’t played any matches for five-six months. I knew that Canara Bank was going to play the DY Patil tournament. I checked with Bharat Chipli and Mansoor Ali Khan sir, if I could come over as a guest player. They said ‘Yes, for sure’. I met Abey Kuruvilla there. I went up to him and asked him if he could find a team for me,” Nair told Ashwin on his YouTube channel. 

“Within a couple of weeks, he put me in touch with Prashant Vaidya, and that’s how the Vidarbha gig began for me,” he added.

What makes Vidarbha so successful? A good pathway system. 

“I think they have a successful age-group cricket; they win a lot of tournaments. I honestly am not sure how because I haven’t been part of the age-group level. But I can say that they are very successful and carry that mentality to the senior level. You can see that they are used to winning, and they work hard. They are quite simple and humble,” he further explained.