In IPL 2025, he played 11 matches and scored 217 runs.
Nitish Rana is an experienced Indian Premier League (IPL) player with 118 matches and 2,853 runs. He was part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) 2024 title-winning team but was released after the season. He was picked by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2025 Auction.
For RR in IPL 2025, he played 11 matches and scored 217 runs, but missed the last three games because of an injury. He got the chance to bat in every match he played, but his batting position kept changing. Sometimes he batted at No.3, sometimes at 4 or 5, so his role was not fixed.
If Rajasthan Royals choose to release him before the IPL 2026 auction, some teams might look to add him to their squad.
Gujarat Titans could be one of the teams that might look to target Nitish Rana in the IPL 2026 auction if the Royals release him. GT had a solid IPL 2025 season, with their top three in the batting lineup scoring most of the runs.
But their middle order did not do much, except for Sherfane Rutherford, who had a decent season. Since GT’s middle order is not experienced, they might want a solid batter at No.4. Nitish Rana could be a good choice for that spot because he has experience and can perform well. If he comes in at four, Rutherford can move to five, which would make their batting stronger. So, GT could look to target Nitish Rana in the IPL 2026 auction.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru could be another team that might look to target Nitish Rana. The defending champions had a strong season with their batters doing a fantastic job, but the No.3 spot is still not fully settled. Devdutt Padikkal did well, scoring 247 runs in 10 matches, but missed the rest of the tournament due to injury. Mayank Agarwal, who came in as his replacement, also performed well.
RCB might still look for a batter who can be a strong backup or even play in the starting 11. Nitish Rana could be a good choice for that role in the future, and the team might target him in the IPL 2026 auction.
Sunrisers Hyderabad could be one of the teams that might target Nitish Rana in the IPL 2026 auction. SRH finished sixth in IPL 2025. Their opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head is settled, but the number 3 spot, where they used Ishan Kishan, did not work out well as he had a disappointing season with the bat. Also, his backups were not experienced, so he had to play all the matches.
Nitish Rana, who has filled in multiple roles, could be a good option for them. He can also bat at No.4, followed by Heinrich Klaasen at 5, Nitish Kumar Reddy at 6, and Aniket Verma at 7. This move could strengthen their batting lineup. Rana’s presence might help add balance by playing the anchor role in their aggressive batting order.
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