"Never seen someone play against Bumrah like this" - Former Pakistan batter hails Karun Nair's heroic knock in DC vs MI IPL 2025 match

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali lauded Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Karun Nair for his onslaught against Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The right-handed batter, coming in for the injured Faf du Plessis, scored a brilliant 40-ball 89 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, April 13.

Chasing 206 for a potential fifth consecutive win, Karun Nair had to walk in as early as the first over after Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed for a duck. The No.3 batter, playing in the IPL for the first time since 2022, made an instant impression. Riding on the back of his historic domestic season, Nair showed his intent with an early attack on Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar.

Jasprit Bumrah was brought into the attack at the back end of the powerplay, but Nair showed no signs of slowing down. The right-handed batter recorded a flurry of boundaries against the ace speedster, largely through the off side by making room for himself to leave everyone speechless.

Nair managed to squeeze out a whopping 26 runs off just nine deliveries against Bumrah. The pair even had a heated face-off out in the middle after a minor collision, before an intervention calmed things down.

Nair's brazen batting display against one of the world's best bowlers impressed Basit Ali, who failed to recall when the pacer was taken down in such ruthless fashion.

"In the last five to six years, I have never seen someone play against Bumrah like this. Even if the top-class batters in the world, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Steve Smith, Jos Buttler or Travis Head, nobody has played against him like that. The way Karun Nair counterattacked Bumrah made it feel like someone was playing cricket. The way he scored over extra cover, he is a very big player," Basit said on his YouTube channel (via Hindustan Times).

Karun Nair's stunning knock was brought to an unexpected end after he was castled by an absolute peach from Mitchell Santner in the 12th over. His dismissal changed the complexion of the innings, as MI were able to make the most of it and triggered a collapse. DC fell 12 runs short of the target to lose their first match in IPL 2025.

"How did he drop out of the squad?" - Basit Ali stunned by Karun Nair's absence in international cricket

Karun Nair rose to fame with his magnificent triple hundred against England in Chennai during the 2016 home series. The batter had a string of matches in the middle order following his feat, but could not cement his place in a highly competitive setup.

He has made the headlines again with his record-breaking Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with Vidarbha, and was on the brink of making it to Team India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, he was overlooked by the selection committee.

"I was told he scored 300 against England in a Test. How did he drop out of the squad? Youngsters in India and Pakistan should play with this much confidence. DC should have won. I can't understand how they lost the game. Even if he scored 49, my comments would be the same. When he played shots, it felt like there were no fielders on the ground," the former Pakistan cricketer added.

Karun Nair has made a solid case for his inclusion in the side, whether it be through Faf du Plessis' potential absence due to injury or Jake Fraser-McGurk's horrid run of form. DC have had issues with their top-order in the campaign so far, and the 33-year-old Indian batter comes across as the right solution at the right time.