As teams prepare for the last run-in before the mega event takes off on Saturday, the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) season will be plenty of thrills and spills (March 26). Karun Nair, who will be playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the second time, is driven and delighted to play for the Royals in front of his fellow South Indian cricketers. Nair has played for the Royals in the 2014-15 season and is eager to establish his value in the team once again.
In the domestic circuit, the 30-year-old, who was born in Jodhpur, represents Karnataka with KC Cariappa, Devdutt Padikkal, and Prasidh Krishna in the RR team. Along with coach Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals club has a slew of accomplished players. In the 2014 tournament, Nair was a big hit, scoring 330 runs with a strike rate of 142.24.
Karun Nair is excited to take on the task.
“Of course, a lot has changed since I first came here (to the Royals), but this club has always felt like home to me.” We have a well-balanced team, and I’m having fun getting to know everyone. It’s a wonderful time in the franchise’s history, and I’m looking forward to playing an entertaining style of cricket, as I know the Royals do,” the 30-year-old Karnataka batsman said.
Nair will be looking for a similar comeback this time. After leaving the Royals in 2015, he played for Delhi and Punjab before returning to the Royals. Nair has yet to establish himself as a star hitter, but he is seen as an important addition to the team. He has 1480 runs in 73 IPL matches, with a high of 83.
He’ll also remember his stint with the Indian national team, when he set a record with a triple century. In December 2019, he became just the second Indian player to achieve a triple century in Test cricket with an unbroken 303 against England.
The possibility of sharing a dressing room with the big lads
“I’ve always enjoyed playing with Sanju, and I’m looking forward to reuniting with him on the field.” “I’m extremely delighted to hear Sanju, along with Kumar (Sangakkara) and Zubin (Bharucha), have showed the trust in me to bring me back into the squad,” Nair said of the possibility of sharing the dressing room with Sanju Samson and Kumar Sangakkara.
Furthermore, Nair will now concentrate on regaining some form ahead of the IPL season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday (March 29), as Rajasthan attempts to capture their first IPL title since the 2008 inaugural edition.