After IPL had seen Nair out for three years, the 33-year-old rekindled his good form by scoring a stupendous 89-run knock in 2019. He took the giant bowler, Bumrah, headlong. This innings was on April 13, just weeks before the BCCI was due to announce the squad for the England Test series. The fans began speculating that Karun might make it if he held on to his form. Karun had a terrible next six innings, scoring a mere 75 runs. The Delhi Capitals had even dropped him midway through the season. He did get to double figures thrice but had no fortitude to convert those starts into anything meaningful. Perhaps for his own future evaluations, they decided to draft him back on for the last match of IPL 2025. Cheeky 🤝 Classy Sameer Rizvi and Karun Nair with pressure releasing maximums in the chase 💥💥Updates ▶ https://t.co/k6WP8zBwzL #TATAIPL | #PBKSvDC pic.twitter.com/ei8uDkkcdo — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 24, 2025 Karun hadn’t played since May 5, but this time it was a different occasion. In the pre-match hours, BCCI announced his inclusion for the England tour. This announcement imparted a fresh wave of confidence into Karun as he walked into Jaipur Stadium. The feeling was akin to rediscovering his purpose after an eight-year gap. Delhi was chasing 207, needing someone to hold an end. Karun took that up, missing his second IPL 2025 fifty by just six runs. The steady knock kept Delhi in good stead in the clash. The fall of wickets stopped the innings rhythm after KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis got out, but Karun's presence reinstated it. Also Read | Who are the batters to have been retired out in the history of IPL? Check full list here Karun sent down four consecutive boundaries against Praveen Dubey in the 11th over and then took on Marco Jansen and Harpreet Brar. With Sameer Rizvi firing at the other end, Delhi seemed destined to win their last game of the season. And they did, despite Karun not being there to see it through.