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.
MAL-W
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ASM-W
–
WI
–
AUS
–
SK
165/7
INA
162/7
South Korea beat Indonesia by 3 wickets
PHL
184/9
SK
99/10
Philippines beat South Korea by 85 runs
INA
–
PHL
–
SK
–
INA
–
SL
–
BAN
–
GER
155/5
BEL
160/4
Belgium beat Germany by 6 wickets
GER
191/5
BEL
151/8
Germany beat Belgium by 40 runs
GER
113/7
BEL
116/6
Belgium beat Germany by 4 wickets
GER
–
BEL
–
GER
–
BEL
–
GER
–
BEL
–
GER
–
BEL
–
TRK
237/10
BUL
178/10
Turkey beat Bulgaria by 59 runs
TRK
193/4
GBT
198/5
Gibraltar beat Turkey by 5 wickets
TBC
–
TBC
–
BBW
63/3
FELW
143/2
French Eiffels beat Belgium Belforts by 80 runs
BBW
99/4
BJKW
98/1
Belgium Belforts beat Belgium Jeanekens by 6 wickets
FELW
74/1
LMLW
69/1
French Eiffels Won by 9 wickets
BJKW
98/2
LMLW
103/0
Luxembourg Mullerthals beat Belgium Jeanekens by 10 wickets
BJKW
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FELW
–
BBW
–
LMLW
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
GTC
216/3
NVR
108/9
Gauhati Town Club beat Navarang Club by 108 runs
91YC
103/10
NAJC
70/10
91 Yards Club beat Nabajyoti Club by 33 runs
NVR
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CCC
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GTC
–
NAJC
–
HH
–
RR
–
GAW
–
DC
–
ENGU19
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INDU19
399/6
ENG-W
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IND-W
–
SUL
–
RLC
–
CHK
–
STCC
–
MB
143/8
MR
146/6
Malaysia Reds beat Malaysia Blues by 4 wickets
TSKS
166/5
MINY
172/3
MI New York beat Texas Super Kings by 7 wickets
WAF
–
MINY
–
RWT
172/6
KAK
173/7
Karaikal Kniights Won by 3 wickets
MMS
142/8
VMK
148/3
Villianur Mohit Kings beat Mahe Megalo Strikers by 7 wickets
KAK
–
YAR
–
VMK
–
OAW
–
ML
72/10
BHN
76/0
Bahrain beat Malawi by 10 wickets
TAN
146/5
GER
140/10
Tanzania beat Germany by 5 wickets
TBC
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TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
AUS A
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SL-A
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WOR
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LEI
–
HAM
–
SUSS
–
GLAM
–
GLO
–
BB
–
NOR
–
YOR
–
DER
–
LAN
–
DURH
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SURR
–
SOM
–
KENT
–
MID
–
LAN-W
–
DUR-W
–
SUR-W
–
SOM-W
–
HAM-W
–
BRB-W
–
ESS-W
–
TBLZ-W
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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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