Nagpur: Professional Karun Nair will finally be returning to his home State Karnataka after Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) gave him the No Objection Certificate (NOC) on Monday. Nair, who played for Vidarbha in the last domestic season, had applied for the NOC on Saturday and VCA decided to release him with immediate effect.
“He had applied for the NOC last Saturday and we released him immediately,” said VCA CEO Farokh Dastoor while talking to local media on Tuesday evening. According to Dastoor, Nair thanked VCA for giving him a chance to play for the side, which won its third Ranji title in March. “He wholeheartedly thanked VCA for providing the platform which helped him re-establish himself. His stint was fruitful for both VCA and himself as he got another chance to get back into the IndianTest squad,” said Dastoor.
Gold Rate
26 July 2025
Nair is currently with the Indian team playing the five match series for Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Nair was one of the architects of Vidarbha’s title-winning run in the 24-25 Ranji season. He amassed 863 runs at an average of 53 which included a hundred in the final against Kerala. Apart from his Ranji heroics, Nair hit five successive centuries in Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs) as he collected 779 runs in the competition.
Along with that strong outing, Nair also set a new List A record, scoring 542 runs without getting dismissed. The right-handed batter however, could not replicate that form in the ongoing England series as he could muster 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 in the first three Tests. The fourth Test starts Wednesday at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Before Nair, Vidarbha stumper Jitesh Sharma had sought NOC and, in all probability, will be playing for Baroda. When asked whether any other professional approached VCA, CEO Dastoor replied in negative.
