IPL 2025 has displayed a pool of young, talented cricketers and brought back some brilliant players into the limelight. One such player is Karun Nair. The immensely talented batsman has proved his mettle in the past, but has been missing from the league. His absence hinted at the end of his career, but he has made a strong comeback this year and is ready to conquer in the upcoming games.
Born on December 6, 1991, Nair is a right-handed top-order batsman. He made his international debut in 2016 in an ODI game against Zimbabwe. In the same year, he also debuted in a Test match against England. He is known for being technically sound and showing aggression whenever required. His biggest achievement in international cricket is a triple century against England in the first Test series he played.
In IPL, Karun Nair debut in 2012. He was bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru at a price of just 8 lakh. He played at the same price in 2013. In 2014, his services were acquired by Rajasthan Royals at a price of 75 lakh. In 2024, he had a good season with 330 runs at an average of 33.
In 2015, Karun Nair remained with Rajasthan Royals at the same price. In IPL 2016, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) placed a big bet on the star batsman and paid him a salary of 4 crores. In 2016, he played well, scoring 357 runs at an average of almost 36. He remained with Delhi even in 2017.
In 2018, Punjab Kings bought Nair and paid him the biggest paycheck of his career: a whopping 5.6 crores. Compared to his debut season salary, Nair enjoyed a hike of 6900%, which is unbelievable.
Karun Nair’s performance in 2018 was just decent. In 2019 and 2020, he remained with Punjab at the same price but didn’t get many chances. In 2021, he was released and picked by Kolkata Knight Riders. However, in 2021, he was paid just 50 lakh, thus marking a huge downfall. In 2022, he returned to Rajasthan’s camp for 1.4 crores.
Unfortunately, the star cricketer missed the action in 2023 and 2024 and was written off by many. However, he made his return to IPL in 2025. He was bought by Delhi Capitals at just 50 lakh. Though the price is low, Karun Nair has made a strong statement with his bat in IPL 2025. He played a smashing innings against Mumbai Indians recently, proving there’s enough cricket left inside him.
In terms of cumulative salaries, Nair has earned 28.86 crores through IPL. Let’s hope he makes more money in the upcoming seasons.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more such cricket stories and updates!
