Follow UsDelhi Capitals (DC) began the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with a bang, having won all their four matches going into the match against Mumbai Indians (MI). However, the Mumbai Indians team put up a spirited performance and pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat despite Karun Nair’s 89 off just 40 deliveries.
Chasing 206, Nair walked in at number three after Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed on the first ball of the chase, his first appearance in IPL since 2022.
Nair even took down Jasprit Bumrah with utmost ease, smashing 26 off just nine balls against India’s ace pacer. He was up for anything the Mumbai Indians (MI) threw at him and got to his fifty off just 22 deliveries in the powerplay, which set the tone for the chase.
But once DC lost Karun in the 12th over for 89 off 40, things went downhill for DC.
DC needed just 87 off 58 with eight wickets in hand when their partnership was broken. The hard work was done, but it was eventually undone by those who followed as DC suffered a hat-trick of runouts at the fag end of their chase and ended up losing control of the innings.
Speaking after the game, MI spinner Karn Sharma, who took 3/36 after coming in as the impact player, felt that Nair’s wicket was the turning point for his team.
“At that time, the situation was like they were going 10-11 runs per over," the right arm leg spinner said.
"So my role was just to take wickets in the middle overs, and the way they were batting, every wicket was important. Obviously, KL Rahul is a big name, and he had finished the game for them in the last match. But all the wickets were important for us at that time.
“After Karun [Nair] got out, their momentum broke. And after that, we got two or three wickets quickly. That changed the game."
Sharma also said that familiarity with the surface at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi helped him bowl on the track. He also credited the ball change that happened in the 13th over. Notably, it’s a new change brought in the IPL, where the bowling side can opt for a drier ball if the ball has gotten wet due to dew in the second innings after 11 overs.
"I have played a lot in Delhi, so I know how the ball will behave on this wicket," he said.
"But we didn't expect dew because there was no dew in the first innings. When you get the ball replaced, the new ball has an upright seam, so it gives you purchase from the wicket. That helped us."