Karun Nair believes that playing with freedom is the key for Delhi Capitals (DC) as they push for a place in the IPL 2025 playoffs. Once table-toppers, DC have now slipped to fifth after consecutive defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders, putting their qualification hopes under pressure.

Led by Axar Patel, DC will return to action on May 5 after a six-day break, facing Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Nair, speaking ahead of the game, emphasised the importance of regaining momentum and peaking at the right time.

“It’s about winning the crucial moments in a game. We’ve been doing that in most matches and that’s why we’re still in a decent position. But now, we need to go out there and play with a lot of freedom,” Karun Nair said in the pre-match press conference.

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He also highlighted the value of the short break, saying it allowed the team to reset and reflect. “The break helped us regroup and revisit what we were doing well earlier. It’s all about timing our peak performance with the playoffs just around the corner,” he added.

When asked about his own batting form, Karun Nair remained optimistic. After a brilliant 89 against Mumbai Indians, he’s had a string of modest scores—0, 31, 15, 4, and 15—but he values even the smaller contributions.

“I feel I’m batting well. It’s just about converting those 20s into match-winning innings. Even those small cameos can have an impact,” he said.

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With 12 points from 10 games and a healthy net run rate of +0.362, DC remain firmly in the playoff race—but they’ll need to finish strong to secure their spot.