Karun Nair left seething, almost punches in frustration in dressing room after unfortunate three-ball duck vs RR

Karun Nair was dismissed for a three-ball duck following an unfortunate run out against Rajasthan Royals

Karun Nair made a blistering return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the match against Mumbai Indians, scoring a fiery 40-ball 89 in what was his first appearance in the league after three years. But the veteran batter, who has his eyes set on an India return for the upcoming tour of England, failed to carry the momentum into the game against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck following an unfortunate run out.

Karun Nair was dismissed for a three-ball duck against RR

It happened on the first ball of the fourth over when Sandeep Sharma dished out a length ball angling onto off from round the wicket to Abhishek Porel, who got an inside edge on the pull shot as the ball rolled towards the point region. Porel quickly called for a single, but then sent back the batter, leaving Nair, who was the non-striker’s end, stranded at the halfway point in the pitch.

Dhruv Jurel, meanwhile, collected the ball at point and threw it down to the non-striker’s end, but Sandeep casually grabbed it and then lobbed it back at the stumps. The on-field umpire referred it to the third umpire, and the replay showed that Nair was just millimetres short of making it back to the crease.

Delhi’s juggernaut was halted in the match against Mumbai Indians, who handed them a reality check at home, thus ending their winning start to the season. The Axar Patel-led side had won all their first four matches, before losing in their homecoming to Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have managed just two wins in six matches so far this season. They lost both their previous two matches—against RCB in Jaipur and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.