IPL 2017, Match 52, DD v RPS: CT Player of the Match - Karun Nair

Playing party-poopers sure does give some satisfaction, and the Delhi Daredevils partly experienced the feeling by defeating an advancing Rising Pune Supergiant side. Opting to bat first, the Daredevils had the worst possible start, losing Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer, both past heroes for DD, in quick succession. However, triple-centurion Karun Nair, who was climbing uphill ever so slowly, finally struck form with a 45-ball 64.

Nair dropped anchor when his side were in a serious spot of bother, and lasted at the crease almost till the end of the 19^th over. His knock pushed the Daredevils total close to the 170 run mark, which was just enough against a batting-heavy Rising Pune Supergiant side. Along with achieving his first fifty in this edition of the IPL, Nair also secured his first CT Player of the Match award on Friday.

The little lad from Karnataka was the talk of the town when he got to his maiden triple century in style. However, Nair’s performances that followed were not remotely as good as that special knock in Chennai. No matter what form of the game it was, Karun Nair struggled to get past the 30s for several innings after his 300. His match-saving knock against RPS though will heal some of his wounds.

Opening the batting for the Delhi Daredevils seems to be working for Karun Nair, as he’s got three 30+ scores now at the opening slot. This time around, Nair was able to get to a fifty, which eluded him not just in this IPL, but in his career as well.

First up, Karun Nair called for a single when there wasn’t a run. The Delhi Daredevils paid the price, losing Sanju Samson, who wasn’t even in the frame when the stumps were thrown down. Nair then watched from the other end as in form Shreyas Iyer edged one to the keeper. The scoreboard read 9/2 at the start of the second over.

Rishabh Pant then joined Nair out in the middle, and the duo began to undo the damage caused by reckless running and Unadkat’s brilliance. Nair constructed a crucial 74-run partnership with Pant, the latter looking the aggressor in the stand. Karun Nair took on Washington Sundar in his first over, dispatching the ball for two boundaries. He then targeted Ben Stokes, who went for 3 fours in his first. The boundaries kept coming thick and fast for Karun Nair, but the Daredevils were jolted by Pant’s dismissal.

Wickets kept tumbling at the other end, as Nair watched Samuels depart closely followed by Anderson. Nair nevertheless marched on, getting to his first fifty-plus score across formats since that Chepauk triple-hundred.

Scoring his first fifty

He went on to add 14 runs to his first IPL fifty this season before Unadkat latched on to an excellent catch to see the back of Nair. The batsman tried to swing it over midwicket, but he could only send a top edge swirling to short fine leg. Nair fell for a valuable 64. In hindsight, his knock was the central pillar in the Daredevils innings.

The Rising Pune Supergiant fell short by 7 runs courtesy of some clinical bowling performances by the Delhi Daredevils. Zaheer Khan’s boys stuck to their plans and executed them perfectly. More importantly, the Delhi Daredevils were finishing the league phase on a high, and the credit for tonight’s victory must be given to Karun Nair.