DC Collapse After Karun Nair’s Heroics as MI Clinch Thriller Amid Bumrah-Nair Spat

Delhi Capitals suffered a dramatic meltdown in the final overs to lose by 12 runs to Mumbai Indians in a high-octane IPL clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Chasing 206, DC were well-placed at 193/7 with nine balls remaining, but three consecutive run-outs in the 19th over handed the win to Hardik Pandya’s MI.

Before the shocking collapse, Karun Nair lit up the stadium with a blistering 89 off just 40 balls on his IPL return after three years. Having earned a comeback through consistent domestic performances, Nair made an instant impact, smashing a 22-ball half-century and threatening to single-handedly chase down the target.

However, the match wasn’t without drama. In the middle of DC’s spirited chase, tensions flared between Nair and Jasprit Bumrah following a mid-pitch collision. The incident occurred as Nair brushed past Bumrah while completing a second run. What appeared to be a minor bump quickly escalated into a heated exchange. Bumrah confronted Nair angrily, refusing to accept his explanation, prompting MI skipper Hardik Pandya to intervene and diffuse the situation. Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, had a visibly amused reaction from the sidelines.

Unfazed by the altercation, Nair continued his aggressive onslaught, stitching a 119-run partnership with Abishek Porel after the early dismissal of Jake Fraser-McGurk. But once Nair fell for 89, mistiming a big shot, the DC innings unraveled in shocking fashion.

With 23 needed off 12 balls and three wickets in hand, Delhi found themselves on the verge of victory. Instead, they self-destructed with three run-outs—Ashutosh Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohit Sharma—falling in the final three balls of the 19th over, leaving the home crowd stunned and Mumbai celebrating their second win of the season.

Earlier in the day, Tilak Varma top-scored with a composed 59, while Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, and Naman Dhir chipped in with valuable cameos to take MI to a formidable 205/5. DC’s bowlers, led by Kuldeep Yadav, kept things in check for much of the innings, but it was their late-innings batting collapse that ultimately proved costly.