New Delhi: Karun Nair lit up the chase with a blazing half-century his first in the IPL after seven long years—dominating none other than Jasprit Bumrah in the process as Delhi Capitals (DC) took on a 206-run target against Mumbai Indians (MI). Making his season debut as an impact substitute Nair brought up his fifty in just 22 balls. He started by dispatching two boundaries off Bumrah in the pacers opening over then went on to hammer him for two sixes and a total of 18 runs in his next. Thanks to his explosive knock DC raced to 72 runs by the end of the powerplay. Nair who was in top form for Vidarbha during the domestic season appears to have carried that momentum into the worlds premier T20 tournament. His stunning innings sparked a wave of reactions across social media platforms. What a story Karun Nair is making a statement. Continuing his form from domestic #DCvMI https://t.co/w6OLxj8ufh pic.twitter.com/Ioz8LxFWT8 — Aditya (@NameisAditya_) April 13 2025 Karun Nair is showing all of us why playing domestic cricket & current form is so so important — Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 13 2025 Spare a moment to salute Karun Nair. Shouldn’t we acknowledge his relentless hard work and dedication? #KarunNair | #DCvMIpic.twitter.com/ONSBl8UwJx https://t.co/0E5hihLduU — Harsh 17 (@harsh03443) April 13 2025 The way Karun Nair Cameback from this situation is outstanding. What a player. Toying Bumrah like a gully cricket bowler #KarunNair #DCvsMI pic.twitter.com/E7rfhbsTyz — ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲೇನಿದೆ ಬಿಡಿ (@Naneyidupakka) April 13 2025 Tilak Varmas gritty half-century along with valuable contributions from Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir helped Mumbai Indians (MI) register a formidable 205/5 in their allotted 20 overs against Delhi Capitals (DC). DC skipper Axar Patel won the toss and chose to field first in their IPL 2025 clash on Sunday. Opening the innings for MI Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton came out swinging putting pressure on the DC bowlers early by notching up 45 runs in just four overs. Rickelton was aggressive with 27 off 15 balls while Rohit chipped in with 17 from 9 deliveries. In the fifth over Vipraj Nigam dismissed Rohit for 18 (12) extending the opener’s lean patch this season. Suryakumar Yadav then walked in to partner Rickelton. Surya made his intentions clear from the get-go launching the first ball he faced for a six over fine leg. However in the eighth over Kuldeep Yadav struck with a clever delivery to bowl out Rickelton for 41 (25) a knock laced with five boundaries and two maximums. Tilak Varma then joined Surya in the middle. The duo played sensibly at first focusing on singles and twos to keep the scoreboard moving. Having made the most of a solid start in the powerplay they avoided unnecessary risks during the middle phase. Surya and Tilak later targeted Mohit Sharma scoring 14 off his first over and Surya started the following over with a massive six. Their partnership flourished adding 50 off 29 deliveries with Surya taking the lead in stroke-making. In Vipraj Nigam’s third over the pair added another 17 runs though Tilak was given a lifeline as Stubbs dropped a catch at deep mid-wicket. Kuldeep returned to break the stand sending Surya back in the 14th over for 40 (28) an entertaining knock that featured five boundaries and a couple of sixes. MI skipper Hardik Pandya came in next but couldn’t make an impact as Vipraj dismissed him for just 2 (4) continuing MI’s ongoing struggle to build lasting partnerships in the tournament. Naman Dhir came to the crease and joined Tilak who remained steady. After 15 overs MI were at 146/4 with Tilak on 38* (19) and Dhir at 1* (2). Tilak reached his second consecutive half-century in the 17th over taking only 26 balls to get there. The Capitals displayed some sharp fielding notably with Axar Patel saving a certain six at long-on in the 18th over.