Despite securing a massive total of 264 in 20 overs, Delhi Capitals (DC) failed to defend it at the Arun Jaitley Stadium against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The result of the match could have been different if Karun Nair had not missed not one, but two catches of the PBKS captain, Shreyas Iyer. The second drop catch was a sitter.
Former Team India cricketer Virender Sehwag was absolutely furious over Nair, as he simply cannot tolerate such silly mistakes that had caused the match.
Karun Nair turned out to be the villain for the Delhi Capitals
In the 15th over of the second innings, Karun Nair, the substitute fielder of DC, dropped an absolute sitter. Iyer was 29 when he was dropped for the second time. The first catch missed by Nair was in 14.6 overs.
Karun Nair came from the bench as a substitute fielder for the Delhi Capitals. Sehwag expressed that a fielder, who is not getting match time, should keep himself for every single opportunity. As Karun Nair was not in the playing combination, he should have offered his best to grab the opportunity to prove his value in the team.
“It’s just not acceptable. Firstly, you aren’t getting matches. And now, when you have a chance as a fielder, at least do some fielding. If you drop catches even there, then the captain will think that since he dropped catches, let us not pick him,” Virender Sehwag said while speaking to Cricbuzz.
Virender Shewag explained the job of a batter
Karun Nair is a proven batter, especially in the longer format of the game. As a reminder, Sehwag said that a batter’s job is not only to score runs, but to make contributions in picking catches and making run outs as well.
“All of this happens. Just because you are a batter, batting isn’t your only job. Picking catches and completing run-outs are also your jobs. Sorry to say, but Karun Nair, you came in just to field, dropped two catches, and because of those two drops, you lost the game,” he added further in the statement.
The former cricketer asks DC to drop Nair
The former opener, now a cricket expert, further explained that if Nair is a regular batter in the playing XI, then he might ignore those two drop chances. But as he is a benched player, he will not think twice to drop Nair from the team.
“If I am the captain and he is a very important player and drops two catches, I can ignore that. But if he isn’t in the playing XI and asks me for a chance, I will say that you aren’t playing because of the dropped catches,” Virender Sehwag said.
In the previous season, the middle-order batter played 8 matches to score 198 runs, including a highest score of 89. In IPL 2025, Nair’s batting average and strike rate were 24.75 and 172.17, respectively. In the ongoing season, he has so far played only one match for the Delhi Capitals, where he got only 5 runs from his bat.
Read More: IPL 2026 Is Killing Bowlers: 4 Wild Rule Changes That Could Restore Balance Instantly
