Karun Nair's return to competitive cricket has been delayed a bit as he has failed to get a fitness clearance from the BCCI Center of Excellence and will not participate in the KSCA Maharaja T20 Trophy 2025 event. This is a body blow for his side, the Mysore Warriors, who would be without their fearless striker and their leading run-scorers for the past two seasons.
Notably, the 33-year-old suffered an injury during the fifth and final Oval Test while playing against England. A steep bouncer left him with a finger fracture, one that is currently taking longer time to recover that what the Karnataka batter thought. The warriors were optimistic about Nair playing the Maharaja T20 Trophy and also named him in the squad, but there never came a green signal from the BCCI Center of Excellence.
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The right-hand batter is expected to return to competitive cricket once he gets approval from the BCCI medical team. Nair's absence is a major setback for the Warriors, who was their top-scorers for two consecutive seasons. In 2023, he scored 532 runs before going one better in the 2024 season, amassing 560 runs, including the best ever score in the KSCA Maharaja T20's brief history. The 33-year-old also led the Warriors to victory last season.
Karun Nair set to miss Duleep Trophy 2025 season
Aside blow to the Warriors, the Central Zone have also received a massive jolt as Nair's absence leaves a gaping hole in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025 season. Known to play long innings, & absorb pressure in red-ball cricket, his absence will be a tough loss for the Central Zone side. The BCCI medical team has not given any specific date on the batter's return to cricket.
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Once again, it is a testing time for Nair, who just recently made a comeback into the Indian Team for the five-match Test series against England. Although he did not set the stage on fire, he looked solid at the crease and was ready to play the waiting game. But with the latest setback, it is again back to the drawing board for the domestic stalwart.
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