By Khabar Rojana 
Nitish Rana was involved in a heated on-field altercation with Digvesh Rathi during the DPL 2025 Eliminator but bounced back in style, smashing an unbeaten 134 off 55 balls to lead West Delhi Lions to a dominant chase and a spot in Qualifier 2.
A blistering century from Nitish Rana lit up the Eliminator of the Delhi Premier League 2025, but not without controversy. The match between West Delhi Lions and South Delhi Superstarz at Arun Jaitley Stadium on August 29 turned fiery after Rana was involved in a heated on-field altercation with spinner Digvesh Rathi.
The tension had been building from the first over Rathi bowled to Rana, with both players indulging in mind games. After smashing a six to stamp his dominance, Rana exchanged words with the bowler and then aggressively stormed toward him, forcing immediate intervention from both teams and match officials. The video of the incident, posted by DPL’s official handles, quickly went viral.
Rana, however, let his bat do the rest of the talking. The southpaw hammered 134 not out off just 55 deliveries, clearing the ropes 15 times and hitting eight boundaries. His brutal assault ensured West Delhi Lions chased down 202 in just 17.1 overs, with seven wickets in hand.
Rathi, on the other hand, who also features in the IPL for Lucknow Super Giants, had a forgettable outing, conceding 39 runs in his two-over spell, 38 of them to Rana in just 11 balls.
The verbal warfare didn’t stop with Rana and Rathi
Meanwhile, the drama didn’t end there. In the 11th over, West Delhi’s Krish Yadav was caught while trying to go big, but instead of walking off quietly, he got into a verbal spat with bowler Aman Bharti and another fielder. This time, it was Rana who stepped in to play peacemaker.
The on-field friction aside, the result means West Delhi Lions will now face East Delhi Riders in Qualifier 2 on Saturday, August 30. The winner will earn a shot at the DPL 2025 title in the final against Central Delhi Kings, scheduled for Sunday, August 31.
Raveena Kumari