Karun Nair’s salary breakdown since his IPL debut

The latest buzz in and around the Indian cricket circuit has been about Karun Nairthe standout batsman who is delivering back-to-back outstanding performances for his domestic team, Vidarbha V.I Vijay Hazare Award.

The 33-year-old is currently the top run-scorer in the prestigious tournament with 664 runs in 6 innings. Nair has earned 5 centuries in the tournament so far and has currently emerged as a major talking point due to his outstanding performances with the bat.

However, Nair’s journey to this flawless domestic record has not been easy at all. Nair has been in the Indian domestic circuit for over a decade, where he started his career Karnataka In a first-class match against Punjab. While the talent was obvious, the performances told a completely different story as his career never really took off to the next level.

Kaun Nair struggles with teams in domestic cricket

Nair represented Karnataka for several seasons. However, the 33-year-old has been left out of the squad for the 2022-23 season. Frustrated by the lack of playing time, Nair moved from Karnataka to focus on getting more playing time. The top-order batsman chose to play for him Vidarbha He got off to a great start for the team when he became Vidarbha’s top run scorer in the Ranji Trophy season.

Read also: Will Karun Nair play for India again? Selectors are keen on his heroics in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25

Karun Nair’s journey in IPL

Karun Nair made his debut in the Indian Premier League during the 2012 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He played for RCB for two seasons before moving to RCB Rajasthan Royals (RR)Where he spent two consecutive years. In 2016 he joined Delhi Capitals (DC)Where it continued for two seasons. After being released by Capitals in 2018, Nair acquired Punjab Kings (PBKS)Where he played for three seasons. The IPL journey took him to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) In 2021 for one season, he then returned to Royals in 2022. After the 2022 season, Nair decided to take a break from the Indian Premier League to focus on improving his batting skills. His hiatus ended when he returned in 2025, after the Capitals re-signed him for next season.

Karun Nair’s salary in IPL

Nair’s IPL earnings started modestly, starting at INR 8 lakh per season at RCB. His salary grew when he moved to Royals in 2014, where he earned INR 75 lakh per annum for two years. His move to the Capitals in 2016 brought him a whopping Rs 4 crore per season. From 2018 to 2020, Nair was part of Punjab Kings, earning Rs 5.6 crore annually. In 2021, he joined KKR for INR 50 lakhs before returning to Royals in 2022 for INR 1.4 lakhs. His 2025 contract with Delhi Capitals comes at INR 50,000, with a base salary of INR 30,000. Over the course of his IPL career, Nair has collected a total of Rs 28.86 crore.