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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Karun Kaladharan Nair | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1991-12-06)6 December 1991 (age 34) Jodhpur,Rajasthan, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Kulla[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armoff break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Top-order batter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 287) | 26 November 2016 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 31 July 2025 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 212) | 11 June 2016 v Zimbabwe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 13 June 2016 v Zimbabwe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2023, 2025–present | Karnataka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015, 2022 | Rajasthan Royals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017, 2025–present | Delhi Capitals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Kings XI Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Vidarbha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Northamptonshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,8 October 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Karun Kaladharan Nair (born 6 December 1991) is an Indian internationalcricketer.[3] He is a right-handedtop orderbatter and occasionaloff breakbowler.[4] He is the second[a] Indian batter to score a triple century inTest cricket.[5] He plays forKarnataka in domestic cricket andDelhi Capitals inIndian Premier League.
Karun was born on 6 December 1991 inJodhpur, Rajasthan.[6] His parents, Kaladharan Nair and Prema Nair, hail fromChengannur in theAlappuzha district ofKerala.[7] Kaladharan, who is a mechanical engineer, lived in Jodhpur at the time of his son's birth and later moved with his family to Koramangala,Bangalore where he also worked on the sprinkler system at theM. Chinnaswamy Stadium.[8] Nair's mother, Prema is a teacher atChinmaya Vidyalaya, Bangalore. Karun has an elder sister, Shruthi Nair.[9]
Born as a premature baby, Karun's parents were advised by the doctors to introduce their son to sports as part of the treatment for his weak lungs.[10] Nair joined Koramangala Cricket Academy on 28 March 2001, a year after his family moved to Bengaluru and was coached under Shivanand.[11] He studied at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, where his mother taught until fourth grade and switched to theFrank Anthony Public School for better cricketing opportunities.[12][13] He studiedBachelor of Commerce atJain University in Bangalore.[9] He is fluent in several languages:English,Hindi,Malayalam,Kannada andTamil. His mother tongue is Malayalam.[14]
Nair made his first-class debut in the 2013–14 season in whichKarnataka won the Ranji Trophy. He scored three consecutive centuries in their final league game and the first-two knockout matches. He went through a lean patch in the 2014–15 season with a string of low scores but bounced back smashing 328 runs in the final[15] helping Karnataka to win the title again.[16] He also became the second player from Karnataka to score a triple century and the first batter to score a triple century in a Ranji final since 1946–47.[17] It was also the highest total by a batter in the final of the Ranji Trophy.[18] He scored 500 runs in the2015–16 Ranji Trophy including two centuries and two half-centuries.[19] He continued his good run in the next season hitting one century and three half-centuries from his six appearances in the season.[20]
In October 2018, he was named inIndia A's squad for the2018–19 Deodhar Trophy.[21] The following month, he was named as one of eight players to watch ahead of the2018–19 Ranji Trophy.[22] In August 2019, he was named in the India Red team's squad for the2019–20 Duleep Trophy.[23][24]
In 2023, Nair played for Burbage & Easton Royal CC in theWest of England Premier League - Prem 2 (Gloucs/Wilts).
In January 2025, Nair scored 542 runs without getting out in theVijay Hazare Trophy, to create a new world record of scoring the mostList A runs between dismissals. He remained unbeaten in five matches, and scored three consecutive centuries to create the record.[25]
Nair was named in the Indian ODI and T20I squads for theirseries against Zimbabwe in May 2016[26] and made hisOne Day International (ODI) debut in the series atHarare Sports Club on 11 June 2016.[27]
On 26 November 2016, he made hisTest debutagainst England atMohali.[28] He scored his maiden Testcentury in the final match of the series at theM. A. Chidambaram Stadium, going on to finish 303not out.[29][30] He was only three innings old in international cricket then, thus becoming the quickest batsman to hit a maiden triple-hundred in Test cricket history in term of number of matches played. He was also India's second ever triple-centurion afterVirender Sehwag, and only the third man in the game's history to convert a maiden Test ton into a triple.[31] India won the match by an innings and 75 runs, and Nair was named as the player of the match.[32] However, he was dropped from the side to make way for the return ofAjinkya Rahane, and did not play in India’s next Test match.[33]
In May 2025, he was reselected, his comeback was propelled by consistent domestic performances, including a standout double century for India A against England Lions. In that match, he scored 204 runs, reinforcing his case for inclusion in the national team.[34] Nair participated in the2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, playing at 3.[35] In September 2025, The squad for India vs West Indies tests was announced from where he was dropped.
Karun was a part ofRoyal Challengers Bangalore in the2012 and2013 seasons ofIndian Premier League.[36] He got his breakthrough season withRajasthan Royals in the2014 IPL scoring 330 runs in the season at a strike rate of 142.24.[37]
In 2016,Delhi Daredevils signed Karun[38] after Rajasthan was banned from the competition for two years after being found guilty in illegal betting and match-fixing probe.[39] He captained Delhi in 3 matches after an injury toZaheer Khan in the2017 season.[40]
He was bought byKings XI Punjab in the2018 IPL auction.[41] In February 2021, Nair was bought by theKolkata Knight Riders in theIPL auction ahead of the2021 Indian Premier League.[42] In February 2022, he returned to Rajasthan Royals in theauction for the2022 Indian Premier League tournament.[43]
Nair returned to the IPL 2025, playing for the Delhi Capitals. His first game was against the Mumbai Indians, where he scored 89 runs off 40 balls.
In July 2016, Karun survived a boat accident in riverPampa inKerala during a thanksgiving temple visit after making his ODI debut.[44]
He announced his engagement with longtime girlfriend Sanaya Tankariwala, a media professional on 29 June 2019 through his social media handles.[45] The couple got married in a private ceremony atUdaipur,Rajasthan on 19 January 2020.[46] Their son, Kayaan Nair was born in January 2022.[47]