Nitish Rana, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, had an unforgettable Friday night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The West Delhi Lions skipper produced a breathtaking knock of 134 off just 55 balls*, studded with 15 sixes and eight fours, to power his team to a seven-wicket win over South Delhi Superstarz in the Eliminator of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025. His innings helped the Lions chase down a daunting 202-run target in just 17.1 overs.
But it wasn’t just Rana’s batting that made headlines. Midway through the chase, the southpaw found himself in a heated altercation with controversial IPL all-rounder Digvesh Rathi. Known for his flamboyant celebrations—he was suspended for one match in IPL 2025 for his “notebook-signing” gesture—Rathi tried to provoke Rana. Words were exchanged, and the incident nearly escalated before players intervened to cool tempers.
On the cricketing front, West Delhi’s chase had its early stumbles. Two quick wickets inside the powerplay left the Lions under pressure, but Rana took charge. He stitched a crucial 97-run partnership with Krish Yadav (31 off 22), steadying the innings and swinging momentum decisively in the Lions’ favour. From there, Rana’s calculated aggression took over, as he dominated the Superstarz attack with clean hitting and unflinching confidence.
Earlier, batting first, the South Delhi Superstarz posted an imposing 201/5 in 20 overs. Openers Anmol Sharma and Ankur Kaushik gave their side a solid start with a 67-run stand, but three quick wickets derailed their progress. Captain Tejasvi Dahiya (60 off 33) and Sumit Mathur (48 off 26)* then revived the innings with a brilliant 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket, lifting their side beyond the 200-run mark.
In the end, however, it was Rana’s fireworks that stole the show. With this victory, the West Delhi Lions stormed into Qualifier 2, where they will face East Delhi Riders on Saturday. The winner will advance to the grand finale against Central Delhi Kings, promising a high-voltage finish to the tournament.
