Karun Nair made an unforgettable return to the Delhi Capitals, smashing an explosive 89 runs off just 40 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 29th match of IPL 2025. Nair, who was in excellent form for Vidarbha in domestic cricket, carried his strong performances into the IPL. This marked his first appearance in the league since 2022.

Nair’s return was historic, as he became the holder of a new record for the longest gap between two half-centuries in IPL history. It had been 2520 days since he last scored a fifty in the IPL, surpassing the previous record set by Travis Head. Nair’s last half-century had come in 2018 while playing for Punjab Kings, when he featured in 13 matches. Since then, his IPL appearances had been limited to just one game in 2019, four in 2020, and three in 2022.

Travis Head, who is now a prominent player for Sunrisers Hyderabad, also had a long gap between two half-centuries. His gap of 2516 days between his two fifties occurred after he did not play in the IPL from 2018 to 2023.

Despite Nair’s dazzling knock, Delhi Capitals fell short in their pursuit of 206 runs. Following his dismissal, DC began to lose wickets quickly. After 18 overs, the score was 183/7, with Ashutosh Sharma still at the crease. Sharma responded by hitting Bumrah for back-to-back boundaries off the second and third balls, bringing the team closer to the target. However, MI stayed in control, executing three run-outs on the last three balls of the 19th over, securing a 12-run victory.

Karn Sharma was named Player of the Match for his superb bowling performance of 3 wickets for 36 runs from 4 overs. Bumrah, who conceded 44 runs, managed to claim only one wicket in his spell.